


Hoes Before Bros

by junetyp, Seventeenteenteen (ChrisIsAnAngel)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Corporate, Angst, Drama, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Jeonghan is a tease, Jeonghan will be the death of Seungcheol, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, M/M, Meanie for a bit, Restroom makeout sessions, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-04-23 06:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14326785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junetyp/pseuds/junetyp, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrisIsAnAngel/pseuds/Seventeenteenteen
Summary: Choi Seungcheol was the CEO of a successful company. By his side, his trusty PA Joshua Hong who supported him through everything. Throw in a little bit of secretary Yoon Jeonghan and you've got a love triangle.





	1. What if I don’t want you to keep your hands off me, Mr Choi?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Me? Flirting with the boss? Never,” Jeonghan denied and brought his mug of steaming coffee to his lips for a quick sip.

Choi Seungcheol, only 26 and already running an empire. Seungcheol was the CEO of a successful company named SVT that dealt with skincare and makeup, their most popular brand was called SVT Energy Skincare. It was a highly recognised brand globally and was popular amongst both males and females alike. Some people said he didn’t deserve any credit because all he did was inherit an already well-established company from his father but others beg to differ. On the contrary, Seungcheol revitalised the company from the inside out by hiring new, younger, and fresher staff to pump their creative juices to help with rebranding. It was a good call on his part because not only did sales see a major increase, they also managed to overtake top brands like Innisfree and Etude House. Needless to say, he knew what he was doing with this company and of course he would, his father had taught him well. However, Seungcheol wouldn’t say all this success was his own doing and he made sure everyone knew that. All he did was trust his intuition by hiring who he thought would do well and trusted them.

The one person who supported all his decisions, other than his own father of course, was his personal assistant Joshua Hong. Joshua had been assigned as his PA since Seungcheol had first started training in the company. They were the same age so no formalities had been necessary and Seungcheol saw the other as a friend and advisor. Joshua had been young with little experience but upon interviewing him, which Seungcheol’s father personally saw to, they had thought he’d be a good fit because of how well-composed he had been and not to mention the glowing recommendation he had gotten from his previous boss. Joshua and Seungcheol got along well which was important seeing as how they would have to be around each other a lot. By the third month, Joshua had already memorised Seungcheol’s schedule, habits and the way he liked his coffee—two creams and with honey instead of sugar.

Joshua stuck to Seungcheol like glue, mostly because it was his job to keep track of the busy CEO and also because he may or may not have feelings for his boss. Of course, Joshua knew it wasn’t a good idea to fall for your boss but he couldn’t help it! Not when Seungcheol looked and acted the way he did. When Joshua thought of a CEO of a major company, he’d picture old men who were heartless tyrants who only cared about money but Seungcheol was nothing like that. Seungcheol was definitely not an old man, he was young, fresh-faced with long lashes that brushed his skin whenever he blinked and plump lips that look especially kissable when they were turned up into a kind smile. The young CEO of SVT was definitely not a heartless tyrant who only cared about money, not even close. He adored his employees who he regarded as peers rather than subordinates and issued large bonuses to all of them because he ‘believed they deserved it for all their hard work’. When Seungcheol was that good looking and that kind, Joshua fell hard before he even realised it was happening.

The CEO was very openly gay and had come out in his early teens. Joshua was also very gay but had only come out to his close friends and family, but he had felt comfortable enough to come out to Seungcheol within the first six months of working for him. So with no worries about which way Seungcheol swung Joshua had nothing to fear, right? Well, there was a big problem that Seungcheol was very much, first and foremost, his boss. The company didn’t have a ‘no dating’ policy but it was an unspoken rule that the boss was off-limits.  

A knock sounded on the door and Joshua allowed the person to enter. “Joshua-hyung, have you heard the latest news?” Kwon Soonyoung from PR asked excitedly as he ran up to Joshua’s desk. “About Mingyu and Wonwoo.”

Joshua raised an eyebrow in question. He was known to be quite knowledgeable on office gossip because he was perceptive and an expert eavesdropper but with the opening of their first physical store in America, he been too busy to keep up with the latest developments of Kim Mingyu, their contracted model, and Jeon Wonwoo, the head of finance. “I’ve been busy. What’s the latest development?” Joshua asked in a nonchalant manner as he mindlessly flipped through some reports.

In knowing that Joshua, the gossip know-it-all, hadn’t heard about the latest juicy news Soonyoung visibly brightened and was practically bouncing with excitement. “Wonwoo finally accepted Mingyu’s confession! After three months!” He announced with a grin on his face. “I’m pretty sure Wonwoo was going to accept after the first month but he just wanted to make it harder on Mingyu.”

Joshua chuckled. “Wonwoo just likes to mess with him,” he said. “I’ll be sure to congratulate them. Thanks for letting me know, Soonyoung.”  

The younger shot him one more bright smile before rushing off, presumably to inform the others of this exciting development. Joshua let out a small sigh as he stared at the stack reports he had to go through. It must be nice, he thought, to be able to confess to your crush. He was happy for Mingyu and Wonwoo, but he couldn’t help being a bit bitter with resentment at the thought of his own unrequited crush.

“The office seems to be in a bit of a frenzy,” Seungcheol commented as he walked into the room before setting his briefcase down on his table. He was looking as dapper as always in his black tailored suit that hugged him in all the right places and hair brushed back out of his face. “Did something happen while I was gone?” The CEO had just returned from lunch with his family.

“Just that Wonwoo finally accepted Mingyu’s confession,” Joshua replied as he gathered up the documents that needed to be signed and handed them to Seungcheol.

Confusion washed over Seungcheol’s face. “Mingyu confessed to Wonwoo? When did that happen?”

Joshua couldn’t help the small laugh that came out of him, Seungcheol was so oblivious to these things and never bothered keeping up with office gossip. “Yeah, he did like three months ago. You gotta start keeping up with these sorts of things, Cheol.”

The CEO huffed in feigned annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest. “I have a company to run, you know. I don’t have time to keep track of all the office romance. There’s far too much to keep track of anyway.” Seungcheol sat down at his desk and glanced over at his PA. “The only office romance I’d bother to keep up with is the one where you’re involved, Josh.”

Joshua rolled his eyes at the comment and tried to will his blush away. “As if I have the time to date. I follow _your_ schedule, Cheol, and you know how demanding that is.”

Seungcheol leaned over to the other’s desk. “But you’d tell me, wouldn’t you? If you were dating someone?”

“Yes, of course, I would,” Joshua sighed.

“Great!” The CEO smirked. “Wouldn’t wanna miss the chance to embarrass you.”

“Cheol!”

Knocks on the door interrupted their conversation. “Come in,” Seungcheol called out. Wonwoo stepped in, files tucked under his arms, and greeted the two in the room. “Ah, Wonwoo, what can I do for you?”

Wonwoo stood in front of Seungcheol’s desk. “Here are the reports you asked for.” He handed over the files he had brought with him. “I double-checked them to make sure they were in order but let me know if you find any mistakes.”

Seungcheol nodded and took the files before placing them neatly on his desk. “I heard about you and Mingyu. Congratulations!” He smiled as Wonwoo got a little flustered. “If the both of you don’t already have plans, I’ll have Josh make reservations at Votre Maison.”

Wonwoo’s eyes widened at that. “V-Votre Maison? No, no, that’s far too expensi-”

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll be my treat,” Seungcheol offered with a smile. When Wonwoo finally agreed, Seungcheol didn’t even have to say anything to Josh because the PA was already making the call.

Joshua always knew exactly what Seungcheol wanted, even before the man himself knew. The PA would have the reports Seungcheol needed before he even asked, the CEO’s coffee freshly brewed and steaming before he even had the chance to groan about how tired he was. Joshua knew the ins and outs of the man that is Choi Seungcheol, from just one look or one move Joshua would know exactly what was on the man’s mind. It was his job, anyways, to cater to all of the CEO’s needs and he tried his best to be as efficient as possible in doing so.

“How’s the search for a secretary coming along?” Seungcheol asked after Wonwoo left. They were currently looking for a new secretary to replace the current one who would be retiring as soon as they found a replacement. “You know my standards are pretty high.” He flipped through the document on his desk before signing it and setting it aside then moving on to the next one.

Joshua, with his eyes on his computer screen scanning through next week’s schedule, replied, “I think I have one good candidate that you might like. Just so happens, he just resigned from his company and is looking for a new job.”

At this, Seungcheol turned to look at his PA, his interest piqued. “Oh? Tell me about him.”

“Well, he’s been my best friend since childhood but I’m not being biased,” he started. “He’s really well organised and is very reliable. He’s smart, graduated top of his class both in high school and university.”

Seungcheol nodded. “Well, I trust you so arrange an interview with him.” The CEO turned back to the documents on his desk, signing another one after briefly going through it. “Just out of curiosity, why did he quit?”  

“His boss was a little too handsy with him,” came Joshua’s curt reply.

The CEO winced. “Yikes, I’d do the same if I were him.” He picked up all the signed documents and handed over to Joshua.

Newly unemployed, Yoon Jeonghan sighed at the glaring numbers on his phone’s screen. His bank balance was steadily spiralling downwards and if he didn’t get a job soon, he’d be absolutely broke. He blamed his expensive taste for the problem he was currently faced with. Jeonghan just loved to live lavishly even though he knew right now he couldn’t afford to. So many times his best friend Joshua had suggested that he just become a sugar baby; after all, he had the looks and the charms to do it. But Jeonghan would have none of it, he was independent and chose to live lavishly through his own means although that obviously meant he needed a job that paid well, which brought him back to the current situation at hand. He was jobless with no good prospects and he was running out of cash, fast.

“Hello, hello my good friend,” Joshua greeted as he stepped into Jeonghan’s well-decorated apartment that reflected his friend’s expensive taste. “I come bearing good news.”

Jeonghan sighed as he handed a glass of wine to his friend. “Good news? I could use some of that.”

“Well,” Joshua started as he and Jeonghan took a seat on the leather couch, “just so happens that my boss is looking for a new secretary and being the good friend that I am, I suggested you.” Joshua smiled at his friend’s look of disbelief. “He wants have an interview as soon as possible so when are you available?”

“You got me a job?” Jeonghan asked incredulously.

“Correction, I got you the _opportunity_ to get a job,” Joshua corrected. “But seeing as how you’re the only worthy candidate as of right now, as long as the boss likes you, you’ll have no problems getting it.”

Jeonghan jumped up and wrapped his arms around his friend. “Thank you! Thank you!” He chanted. “I love you so much, Joshy!”

With the interview scheduled for Tuesday the next week, Joshua quickly dropped Seungcheol an email notifying him and made a mental note to remind the CEO on Monday. Honestly, Seungcheol would be a mess without Joshua and he knew it too. Without Joshua reminding him to, he’d probably forget to eat most of the time. Seungcheol was busy and extremely dedicated to his work which turned him into a workaholic but without Joshua, he wouldn’t be able to manage his time properly and most likely self-destruct.

“Don’t forget the interview is tomorrow at 10,” Joshua called out to Seungcheol who was leaving to have dinner with some investors.

“Yeap! Tomorrow at 10! Got it!”

The PA rubbed his tired face with his hands and sighed knowing that he’d have to remind the CEO about the interview again in the morning. He didn’t have to worry about Jeonghan being on time because as much as his friend whined about waking up early, he was a professional and was always on time for anything work-related. He wasn’t worried about the interview either, he knew Jeonghan was as good as they came for these sorts of jobs and that he would absolutely nail the interview. In fact, he was looking forward to having his best friend on board.

At 9:45 sharp, Jeonghan had arrived and was escorted to a waiting area near the CEO’s office. He had walked into the building exuding poise and confidence in every step he took, heads turned but he had paid them no mind. He was dressed in a pastel pink button up and some tight fitting black pants that cut off just above his ankles along with a pair of black leather loafers. The outfit ensemble complimented his figure by showing off his trim waist and slim legs, needless to say, Jeonghan looked good and he knew it.

At 9:50, Joshua made his way to the waiting area. “You’re early,” was Joshua’s greeting to his friend. “And you reek of money. Do you even need this job?”

Jeonghan stood up and let out a chuckle. “Gotta dress well to impress, honey, and I need the money to cater to my expensive taste.”

The PA merely shook his head and said, “Mr Choi will see you now.” He walked down the familiar path to the office he shared with Seungcheol and let Jeonghan in who greeted the CEO with a handshake and a practised smile on his face.

“Josh spoke very highly of you, Mr Yoon,” Seungcheol said as he took a seat at his desk and signalled for Jeonghan to take the one opposite of him. Joshua walked over to his desk that was right next to the CEO’s and sat down before beginning to work but all the while listening in on the interview.

“Please call me Jeonghan,” said Jeonghan. “I’m glad Josh said nice things about me, that’s a first.”

The CEO chuckled. “Okay then, Jeonghan. Then please address me as Seungcheol. We’re the same age, after all, no need for formalities.” He sat up straighter and that’s when Joshua knew he was getting into business mode. “You’ve got quite an impressive resume here,” he said, voice switching from cheery to a more serious tone. “You graduated top of your class, have glowing recommendations and got hired by a top company right after graduating.”

“Well, I only got the job after interning there and they thought I was good,” Jeonghan explained. “I always give it a 110% when I’m doing my work.”

Joshua wanted to cringe at how rehearsed Jeonghan’s answer sounded but he knew better than anyone that his friend wasn’t lying.

“Well, tell me about some of your work ethics.”

“I’m sure Josh has mentioned this but I’m very organised with both my work and in my personal life, I’ve been that way since I was young,” Jeonghan started, sitting straight with his right leg crossed over the left. Seungcheol had to admit that there was a sort of elegance in the way the other man held himself and he liked it. “I make sure everything is in order and I don’t cut corners when it comes to working. I would say I’m a bit of a perfectionist which is a good trait to have in my line of profession, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, I definitely do agree with that,” the CEO replied. “Do you work well with others? I know you’ll probably work fine with Josh but you might need to work with other people while you’re here. I have my secretary help file reports and whatnot for other departments when they need the extra hand.”

“I would say that I generally do work well with others but I’m not afraid to voice my dislike for someone who is incompetent,” was Jeonghan’s honest reply and Seungcheol admired his honesty.

Seungcheol fired question after question and Jeonghan handled all of them with the same composure as he did the first few. “Well, I think you’re a good fit for the job and I look forward to working with you, Jeonghan. You start on Monday,” Seungcheol announced and stuck his hand out for the other man to shake.

Enthusiastically, Jeonghan reached out and shook the CEO’s outstretched hand with a genuine grin on his face. “Thank you, Seungcheol. I promise I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will.” Seungcheol smiled and let go of Jeonghan’s hand. “Also, I heard what happened with your—” he let out a nervous cough“—previous boss and I just want you to know that even though there is no denying that you are an attractive man, I will keep my hands to myself. And if anyone in this company does that to you, please inform HR or come directly to me because I will not tolerate that kind of behaviour.”

“But what if I don’t want you to?” Jeonghan challenged with a smirk on his face. “What if I don’t want you to keep your hands off me, Mr Choi?”

Seungcheol choked on his own saliva while Joshua’s fingers hovered over his keyboard, his entire body frozen in shock at his friend’s words. “W-well, uh,” the CEO stuttered, visibly flustered.

“Just kidding! See y’all on Monday!” Jeonghan cheerfully called out as he left the room with a little wave and a spring in his step leaving behind a confused CEO and an annoyed PA in his wake.

“Well, your friend sure is, uh...interesting,” Seungcheol laughed.

Joshua simply sighed and shook his head before returning to his work. “He sure is annoying.” He knew Jeonghan probably wasn’t kidding and that’s what annoyed him.

The PA hadn’t told anyone about his feelings for his boss, not even his best friend Jeonghan. It wasn’t so much of him not wanting to tell anyone, more so of him not seeing the point seeing as how this crush of his would go nowhere. Dating the boss was dangerous and Joshua would rather not risk his job for something so petty.

The rest of the week came and went without any unexpected events. Soon, it was Monday and Joshua was no longer looking forward to having his friend working in the same company as him, in close proximity of their good-looking boss named Choi Seungcheol. Could you blame him, really? With his charms and good looks, Joshua knew Jeonghan could easily have the CEO wrapped around his finger and even though they had that unspoken rule of no dating the boss Jeonghan wouldn’t care because it wasn’t an official company policy.

Joshua walked over to his office to see the secretary desk vacant but Jeonghan’s things had already been spread out neatly. He didn’t have to wonder where his friend was because he heard laughter coming from his office that sounded distinctly like Seungcheol’s. Without knocking, Joshua let himself into the office to see the Seungcheol sitting on his chair with an easy smile playing at the corner of his lips and Jeonghan leaning against his desk, body turned towards the CEO, and dressed just as well as he was on the day of the interview.

“Ah, good morning Josh,” the CEO greeted him with a small wave. “Could you go through this week’s schedule with me after you’ve settled down?”

“Good morning,” Joshua greeted as he walked over to his desk before placing his briefcase down and turning on his company-issued laptop to pull up Seungcheol’s schedule. “I have the file opened.”

Smoothing over his clothes, Jeonghan pushed himself off the desk. “Well, looks like that’s my cue to leave.” He shot the CEO one last smile. “I’ll see you later, Seungcheol.”

Throwing a small wave in greeting at Joshua’s directions, Jeonghan sashayed out of the room with a satisfied smirk on his face. Before settling down at his desk, he decided to make a quick trip to the pantry for a cup of coffee. One thing he liked about working at large companies was their pantry was always quite large and fully stocked with good coffee, none of that instant mix that made Jeonghan want to gag. Opening up the cupboard, he pulled out a jar with familiar labels on it; it was the same brand of coffee he had at home. He hummed as he started making his coffee.

“What are you doing, Yoon Jeonghan?”

He didn’t have to turn to know who the voice belonged to. “I’m making coffee, Joshy. Want some?” He asked, feigning innocence.

Joshua walked closer to him. “You know what I’m talking about. You’re flirting with the boss, aren’t you?” He accused.

“Me? Flirting with the boss? Never,” Jeonghan denied and brought his mug of steaming coffee to his lips for a quick sip. “What’s it to you anyway? Does the company have a ‘no dating’ policy?”

“Well...no but-”

“Then what’s the harm in me going for the boss?” He cut Joshua off mid-sentence. “It’s not like I’d get in trouble.

Joshua sighed. “There’s just this unspoken rule about the boss being off-limits,” he calmly explained, knowing fully well that Jeonghan wouldn’t care about something so silly.

The other man merely snorted. “Unspoken rule? Like that’s gonna stop me.” He started making his way out of the pantry. “Well, time to head back to work.”

As if some silly unspoken rule would stop Jeonghan. All he’d get would be some backlash from other employees which he could handle, it would take more than a little bitching to shake someone like him. He remembered seeing pictures of Seungcheol on the internet and Joshua had mentioned that the man was easy on the eyes but nothing had prepared him for the real deal. Jeonghan was a little shocked when he met Seungcheol in the flesh, he was, without a doubt, a good looking man with pale and smooth skin and to-die-for lashes, not to mention his naturally apple red lips. He wondered is Seungcheol’s kisses would taste as sweet as apple—Jeonghan shook his head to clear his thoughts of his devilishly handsome boss and tried to focus on his work.

Reports. Jeonghan had to go through reports. Reports...reports….repo—Seungcheol had a really nice laugh and Jeonghan wanted to hear it more often. Chuckling at himself, Jeonghan let himself fantasise a little about the CEO. He had felt strangely drawn to the man, maybe it was his welcoming voice that wrapped around Jeonghan like a warm blanket and he wouldn’t mind listening to it for hours. When was the last time he had been more than just physically attracted to someone? Probably not since his last boyfriend in high school but things had been easier back then. He hadn’t needed to worry about adult things like financial security or mortgages. The secretary let out a small sigh. If only life now could be that easy, he thought to himself.

There was a time when he was attracted to his best friend too. You couldn’t blame him, Joshua was good looking and kind. He couldn’t help but to develop a small crush in their early years of friendship but it had dissipated soon, leaving Jeonghan feeling a little silly for liking his best friend like that. He smiled as he thought of all the things he had to thank Joshua for; for lending a shoulder as he whenever he scraped his knees, talking shit about his first ex-boyfriend together, staying up all night with him to cram for uni finals and most recently, this job. Joshua and him were like two peas in a pod and always in sync, they couldn’t hide anything from each other which was why Joshua called him out on how he flirted with Seungcheol. To him, it was just harmless flirting but to Joshua, it was dangerous waters and Jeonghan knew that. Still, Jeonghan didn’t know what to make of his growing feelings yet; could they be real or just another silly crush that would soon disappear?

“So you’re the new secretary?” A voice Jeonghan did not recognise asked. He looked up to see a man he did not recognise walking towards him followed by two other people. “I’m Lee Jihoon the project manager.”

“Jeonghan the secretary,” he introduced himself.

The one on Jihoon’s right stepped out from behind the man and waved. “Hi, I’m  Lee Chan. I’m an intern.”

“I’m also an intern,” said the one on the left. “Chwe Hansol. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Jeonghan smiled. “So what can I do for you guys?”

“Well, I’m here to speak to Joshua-hyung,” he gestured to the other two, “and these two are here for their review session with Seungcheol-hyung.”

The secretary raised his eyebrow in question. “Review session?”

“Mr Choi likes to have a monthly review session with each intern to discuss what they’ve learned and also to hear any comments or problems they about,” Vernon explained.

“Ah, I see.” Jeonghan moved to pick up the phone that was on his desk. “I’ll see if they’re free.”

Chan raised a hand to stop him from dialling. “We schedule our sessions in advance to make sure Mr Choi has time for us.”

“And I’ve already emailed Joshua-hyung and he said he’s available,” Jihoon said.

“Oh,” Jeonghan said dumbly, placing the phone back in the receiver. “Josh hasn’t briefed me on Seungcheol’s schedule yet so my apologies for not knowing. Go right ahead.”

The three nodded their thanks before knocking on the CEO’s door and entering after being granted permission. Returning to the reports at hand, Jeonghan made a mental note to ask Joshua about Seungcheol’s schedule. So far it had been a pretty uneventful first day except for what happened with Joshua in the pantry but this was the life of a secretary. Being a secretary was pretty mundane, filing and answering calls was mostly what Jeonghan’s job entitled but working for large companies ensured a high pay and a ton of benefits, plus, organising came easily to someone like him who was a perfectionist by nature.

It was Joshua who had suggested this profession after Jeonghan had wracked his brain trying to figure out what to do in the future. He had been reluctant at first, not being one who liked to serve others, but after some research—researching salaries—he decided to give it ago and found out he quite enjoyed what he did. By now, you may be thinking that Jeonghan was just money hungry but he really wasn’t. He cared about a lot of things besides money. He cared about his friends, he cared about his family and of course, he cared about his job. He also cared a lot about art; he had paintings hung on his walls back in his apartment and he donated often to local art foundations. Was it so bad that he just liked to enjoy the finer things in life? He liked quality and he liked nice things, so what? Sue him.

“Han,” Joshua called out, head popping out of the door and in Jeonghan’s direction, “Seungcheol wants to talk to you.”

Nodding in acknowledgement, the secretary stood up and made his way into the office with a smile on his face. “What can I do for you, Seungcheol?” He walked over to the CEO’s desk who was hunched over some documents but looked up at the sound of Jeonghan’s voice.

“I need you to pass these documents over to the PR team—” he handed some documents over to Jeonghan”—and it’s customary for me to treat new employees to lunch on their first day so let Josh know where you’d like to eat and he’ll make reservations.” Seungcheol offered him a smile as he finished speaking and Jeonghan felt a little tingly.

“Alrighty,” Jeonghan said with a nod. He turned to look at his best friend. “Shua, I think you know where I’d like to go.”

The PA nodded without looking up. “On it,” he answered.

“Wow, you two really know each other well,” the CEO laughed. “Well, Josh will come and get you when it’s time for lunch.”

Jeonghan nodded again. “I’ll just go deliver these then,” he said, holding the documents up. Seungcheol nodded and went back to his work as Jeonghan silently left the room.

Making his way over to the elevator, he realised he had no idea which floor the PR department was located. He internally cursed at himself for not asking Joshua for directions and let out a small sigh. He stepped into the elevator and smiled at the other person who got on before trying to recall the brief tour Joshua had given him after his interview.

“Are you new here?” The other person in the elevator asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

Jeonghan turned to him and smiled. “Uh, yeah. I’m Yoon Jeonghan, Seungcheol’s new secretary.” They shook hands. “Do you happen to know where the PR department is?”

“Yeap, my department is on the same floor and that’s where I’m headed,” the person answered and gestured to the lit up button for the tenth floor. “I’m Wen Jun Hui, by the way. I work in Marketing.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too.”

At the ding of the elevator, they both got off. “Marketing is this side—”Jun pointed to the right“—and PR is on the other side,” he told Jeonghan.

“Got it, thanks,” Jeonghan thanked him with a smile on his face and waved to the other as he left.

He turned to his left and made his way to the PR department, not really knowing he should be handing these documents to. “Uhm, excuse me.” He stopped a man that was walking past him. “I have these documents from Seungcheol. Could you tell me who I should hand these too?”

The man smiled, paired with his puffy cheeks, Jeonghan thought he looked adorable. “Ah, you must be the new secretary. I’m Boo Seungkwan.”

“Yoon Jeonghan. Nice to meet you.” He shook the other man’s hand.

“Pass the documents to the Head of PR,” Seungkwan told him. “His office is over there.” He pointed to the door on the right side corner.

“Alright, thanks Seungkwan.”

“No problem, let me know if you need anything else.” He shot the secretary another cute smile and walked off.

He made his way to the door Seungkwan had pointed at and knocked. Upon hearing a muffled ‘come in’ from the other side, he opened the door and walked in. “Hi, I’m Seungcheol’s new secretary and he asked me to pass these documents to you.”

The other man looked up and his eyes went wide. “Jeonghan-hyung?!” He exclaimed in surprise.

“Seokmin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Votre Maison is a Michelin French restaurant in Gangnam if anyone is wondering.


	2. Seungcheol had never wanted to be a utensil until now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll always be there for you, Joshy,” he whispered in his friend’s ear. “Even when you’re annoyed at me and tell me to leave you alone, I’ll still be there.”

Seokmin blinked. “Hyung. Jeonghan-hyung, it’s really you isn’t it?” He asked, almost as if he couldn’t believe he was actually seeing the man.

Jeonghan pursed his lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he responded in a curt manner. “I’m just here to hand these—” he placed the documents on Seokmin’s desk“—to you.” He swiftly turned and walked towards the door.

“Jeonghan-hyung!” Seokmin desperately called out but Jeonghan had already closed the door.

Lunch with Seungcheol and Joshua was at a restaurant that Jeonghan claimed served the best roast chicken. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far from the office so it was a short, awkward ride. It was awkward for Joshua, at least. On instinct, the PA had chosen the passenger seat and now sat quietly next to the driver while the secretary and CEO chatted merrily in the backseat. He tried to ignore the sounds of laughter by scrolling through his email, quickly deleting any spam mail and going through important ones regarding the store opening in North America. It was a long-anticipated opening. After testing out the American market by making their products available on an American website, sales were good enough for SVT to consider opening a store there. Of course, the whole proposal to test out American waters had been Seungcheol’s idea.

“We’re here, sir,” the driver announced as he stopped the car by the sidewalk.

“Thanks, Mr Park!” Seungcheol called out cheerily as he stepped out of the car and Joshua did the same.

The pace was full, unsurprisingly since it was lunchtime, with people forming a line outside the restaurant. The trio sauntered up to the person in charge out front and informed them of their reservation to which they were immediately seated in a more secluded area of the restaurant. The place smelled of rosemary and various other herbs, the sounds of cutlery clinking on dishes and chatter filled the air. Although it was busy and crowded, none of them minded.

“So, the roast chicken?” Seungcheol asked as they sat down at a roundtable. “Or is there anything else I should try?”

Jeonghan shook his head. “No, no. The roast chicken is the best thing on the menu here!”

“I agree,” Joshua said with a nod of his head. “The dessert here is pretty good too. Especially the chocolate lava cake.”

Seungcheol hummed in acknowledgement. “Well, I guess I’ll have that for dessert.”

“No, Seungcheol,” Jeonghan whined, bottom lip childishly jutting out in a pout. “The apple crumble here is the best! Josh doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Being put on the spot, the CEO was slightly flustered and felt as if he was picking sides. Suddenly, he didn’t like this place so much anymore. “Uh, well,” he started, “we can get one of both and share?”

“What a great idea, Seungcheol,” Jeonghan purred, words coated in honey but a tight-lipped smile on his face.

Joshua merely remained silent but he knew exactly what his friend was trying to do. They ordered the roast chicken and dessert that would be served after their meal. Jeonghan and Seungcheol talked, the secretary coaxing the CEO to talk about himself, while Joshua replied to emails. Soon, their food arrived which was something both Joshua and Jeonghan loved about the place; fast service and good food. Without a word, Joshua pushed his plate over to where his friend was sitting and Jeonghan proceeded to place all his carrots on the PA’s plate.

“You don’t like carrots?” Seungcheol asked as he noticed the duo’s actions.

Jeonghan shook his head in response, nose scrunched up in a look of disgust as he checked to make sure he didn’t miss any carrots before passing the plate back to Joshua. “Never liked them, never will,” was his simple reply.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention who you were supposed to pass the documents to,” Seungcheol recalled as he cut his chicken. “Did you have any problems with that?

“Nope, I asked Seungkwan,” he said. “I handed them to Seokmin.” The way he said Seokmin’s name made Joshua perk up in interest.

“Seokmin’s a nice guy,” the CEO said before taking the first bite of his chicken. “God, this is amazing! It’s so juicy and flavourful.” His eyes went wide and it made the other two chuckle.

“Told you so,” Jeonghan said smugly as he took a bite of his own. “Seems that Seokmin is an old acquaintance of mine.”

Joshua’s hand froze, mid-cut. His head shot up. “Oh? That Seokmin?” He asked incredulously.

Jeonghan nodded and sighed, “Unfortunately. What are the odds, right?” He let out a dry chuckle.

The CEO looked between the two friends, clearly knowing that he was missing something. “Uh? I don’t mean to pry but what are you guys talking about? Did you and Seokmin have a falling out in the past or something, Jeonghan?”

“It’s complicated. But it’s all in the past now.” Jeonghan returned his attention back to his food, Seungcheol took the hint and turned back to his as well.

Light chatter accompanied the delicious meal, all three choosing to savour the food rather than focusing on conversation. Except for Jeonghan. His eyes couldn’t seem to stray away from Seungcheol’s lips. How they looked so soft and fleshy, and the way they wrapped around the fork—

“Han, are you free tonight?” Jeonghan quickly snapped out of his reverie as his best friend called out to him.  
  
“Yeah. I plan to do nothing but sleep. Why?” He asked.

Joshua took a bite of his chicken before he replied, “Dinner with the ‘rents.”

The secretary nodded in understanding. “I’ll come over after work.” He took another bite of his chicken.

“Thanks,” Joshua said softly but even Seungcheol could feel the emotions radiating from just that one word. Seungcheol didn’t ask and Joshua didn’t say anything more.

Dessert made Seungcheol feel like he was caught in the crossfire between the two friends. Both of them were trying to get him to try their favourite dessert first and Jeonghan was tugging at the CEO’s sleeve while Joshua was saying everything with his eyes. The CEO was definitely confused to say the least, was this something they always did? Why did they seem like they were competing to see which dessert Seungcheol would try first?

Internally sighing, the CEO placed both if his hands on his lap. “I’m actually quite full from the chicken so the both of you go ahead.”

Jeonghan’s face visibly fell and the tugging at Seungcheol’s sleeves ceased. The PA was a little more discreet with his disappointment, he didn’t say a word as he picked up his fork and dug into his lava cake. The CEO had to admit that both desserts looked equally appetizing and he was resisting the urge to ask for a bite. He was drawn out of his thoughts when his eyes landed on Jeonghan. The secretary was making _himself_ look delicious, moaning in delight every few bites and licking the fork a little too excessively. Seungcheol had never wanted to be a utensil until now.

Ripping his eyes away from Jeonghan, Seungcheol excused himself and headed to the restroom. He splashed some water on his face and tried to focus on the cold sensation trickling down his face rather than the thought of Jeonghan’s, seemingly, skillful tongue. He splashed his face with cold water twice and took a deep breath before he managed to compose himself. _What am I going to do with myself_ , he thought to himself as he let out a sigh and walked out of the restroom. He made his way back to the table, noticing that the others had finished up their desserts, he called for the bill and paid.

The ride back to the office was, thankfully, a short one that consisted of Seungcheol trying to avoid looking at Jeonghan as the other tried making small talk. Instead, he talked to Joshua about work. Jeonghan pouted and crossed his arms in a childish manner but didn’t say anything.

“Are we on schedule for the opening?” The CEO asked.

“Yeap,” Joshua replied as he turned around to look at his boss. “Ming Hao said he’s done with the designs and needs you to take a look at them for approval.”

Seungcheol nodded. “Alright, have him swing by later.”

“Will do.” Joshua turned back to his phone to find an empty slot in Seungcheol’s schedule for him to see the graphic design and dropped Ming Hao an email informing him of the time.

“Since Ming Hao is done, check with Mingyu on his schedule and make sure he’s available soon,” Seungcheol instructed to which Joshua nodded. “I doubt Hao needs to make any major changes so all the packaging should be done within a week’s time.

“Schedule a meeting with the PR trio, Jun and Jihoon within the next two days, if possible. I want to hear about the ongoing advertising and marketing activities for both America and Korea and also any suggestions they have.”

“Alright,” Joshua acknowledged before making a quick note of all the CEO’s demands, deciding to settle them when they got back to the office. “Ming Hao will be coming by in an hour.” He turned to look at his friend who was still silently sulking. “Han, take note of it. Ming Hao the graphic designer.”

Jeonghan merely hummed in acknowledgement and Joshua resisted to roll his eyes at his best friend’s childish antics. However, Jeonghan was back to his bright chatty self as soon as they stepped out of the car. He was walking next to the CEO, a little too close than necessary, while Joshua trailed behind. Admittedly, he was getting a little annoyed about his best friend being all buddy-buddy with the boss so he planned to say something about it tonight after the dreaded dinner with his parents.

“Cheol, don’t forget you have a conference call at 6 with the American branch tomorrow,” Joshua reminded as he as Seungcheol stepped into their office while Jeonghan took his seat outside. “Mr Park will drop me off at around 5.30 so please be awake by then. I don’t need to deal with your shit so early in the morning.”

The CEO laughed at his PA’s words as he took his seat. “Alright, I got it. I’ll make sure to get up at 5, okay?”

“Should I get your housekeeper to hide a few alarms so you’ll be forced to get up to turn them off?” Joshua joked but it was a plausible idea.

“Please don’t,” Seungcheol groaned. “I don’t need a headache first thing in the morning.”

Joshua chuckled. “If you’re not up by the time I get there, that’s what I’m gonna do the next time you need to wake up early.”

Seungcheol proceeded to set multiple alarms on his phone in an attempt to wake himself up tomorrow. Joshua turned on his laptop and did everything the CEO had instructed him to do in the car. He emailed Mingyu about his schedule and dropped an email about the meeting and the agenda of it to the PR trio—Seokmin, Seungkwan and Soonyoung, Jun from Marketing and Jihoon the project manager. Having done that, he went through his inbox, deleting spam and making note of event invitations. Seokmin had gotten back to him quickly stating that the three of them would be available for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning at 10. Jun had also responded and replied to the email thread informing them that he would be free tomorrow at 10 as well. The last to reply was Jihoon who was also free at 10 in the morning tomorrow.

“Meeting at 10 tomorrow with PR trio, Jun and Jihoon,” Joshua informed as he made he added the meeting time to the CEO’s schedule.

“That was fast.” But Seungcheol didn’t sound the least bit surprised. “Oh yeah, email the interns about it too. I want them to sit in and give any suggestions they might have but only if they’re free.”

“Everyone clears out their schedule for you, Cheol,” the PA laughed as he copied and pasted the email he had already sent but didn’t forget to include the timing for the meeting. “You’re the boss, after all.”

Seungcheol shrugged in response before he went back to reading reports and responding to emails. Joshua followed suit. The entire office was buzzing, everyone working hard to make the highly anticipated launch in America a success. Their American counterpart was working just as hard. Seungcheol was excited, he didn’t say it but Joshua knew. You rarely saw Korean skincare or makeup brands opening their own stores in Western countries. K-Beauty was usually chucked into a small corner of a store with unreasonable prices. So to be able to breakthrough to the American market was definitely something to be proud of.

Spinning around in his chair and occasionally refreshing his inbox to see no new incoming mail, Jeonghan was starting to feel a little bored. Sure, he enjoyed being able to relax but he also loved the adrenaline that pumped through his veins as he rushed to finish up assignments on time to meet tight deadlines. He sighed as he once again refreshed his inbox to see nothing new.

“Uh hi, I have an appointment with Seungcheol-hyung.”

Jeonghan’s head shot up to see a meek-looking man with his laptop tucked under his arm. “Ming Hao, right?” The man nodded. “Go right in.” Jeonghan gestured to the door and the graphic designer thanked him before heading in.

Once again sighing to himself, he stood up and headed to the pantry. He wasn’t thirsty or hungry, just restless after sitting at his desk with nothing to do for over an hour. Mindlessly stirring his coffee, he gazed at a blank wall. Did Seungcheol really need a secretary? He already had a great PA like Joshua after all. A mumbling man with black hair and glasses stepping into the pantry halted his train of thought.

Jeonghan coughed to get his attention. “Uh, are you alright?” He asked, concern in his voice.

The man turned to look at Jeonghan. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just so much to do and not enough time.”

“I can help,” Jeonghan offered, trying not to sound too excited at the possibility of having something to do. “I’m not busy.”

The man visibly brightened. “Yes, that’d be great. I’m Wonwoo, by the way.”

“Jeonghan,” he introduced with a smile. “So, what do you need me to do?”

Apparently, Wonwoo was the head of finance so they headed over to the finance department’s side of the floor. Filing wasn’t the most interesting task in the world but after not doing anything other than going through reports the whole day, Jeonghan felt like a kid at a playground. Of course, in his haze of excitement, he hadn’t forgotten to drop Joshua an email informing his friend of his whereabouts.

“You’re probably not used to our filing system so just ask anyone if you’re confused,” Wonwoo had said and left Jeonghan to settle the task.

Within fifteen minutes, he had already, to Wonwoo’s relief and utter surprise, completely understood the filing system and was even dishing out suggestions on how to improve it. He had already gone through a quarter of the giant pile of documents and files stacked up. Filing was child's play to someone like Jeonghan, and Wonwoo was starting to believe that the secretary was a genius.

“These look great, Hao,” Seungcheol complimented as his eyes skimmed through the designs again. “I don’t think you need to make any changes.” The designer immediately felt relieved as the CEO said that and a small smile found its way to his face. “What do you think, Josh?” He beckoned his PA over with his hand.

With deep concentration, Joshua took in every detail of the designs before replying, “These are great, Hao. You’ve really outdone yourself again!”

“Thank you so much,” Ming Hao said, beaming.

Seungcheol offered him a smile. “Get these over to our manufacturer and have them get the packaged product ready as soon as possible, you know the drill.”

The designer nodded and excused himself before leaving. Joshua sat back down at his desk while Seungcheol let out a groan as he stretched. “It’s pretty exciting isn’t it,” the CEO said and sighed with a small smile on his face. “To be one of the first few K-Beauty brands to open a store in America.”

“Of course it is, Cheol,” Joshua replied with a smile of his own. “It’s a big achievement. Your father must be proud of you.”

“He is and he’s told me numerous times just how proud he is,” Seungcheol laughed. “I just wanna make everyone proud. My dad, my employees as well and I want you to be proud of me too.” The CEO turned to look at his PA, making eye contact, and Joshua felt his breath hitch in his throat. “Thank you for being here with me through everything, not just as my PA but also as my friend. I don’t think I would have gotten this far without you.”

Joshua swore Jeonghan could probably hear the sound of his rapid heartbeat from where he was sitting outside the room.”Don’t get all mushy with me now, Choi Seungcheol. We can do that when we celebrate the opening of the store.”

The CEO laughed. “Yes, of course, you’re right.” He turned away from the other man to focus on the tasks he had and Joshua let out a small sigh of relief.

When he first took over the company, Seungcheol had felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Others had set expectations for him and he had set many for himself but the biggest one was to make sure his choices made everyone proud. He never made decisions without first consulting his good friend Joshua as well as some other employees like Jihoon and Wonwoo. It wasn’t because he was indecisive but because he wanted to hear the opinions of those he trusted as they could be looking at things from a different perspective than himself. Seungcheol knew that he couldn’t make everyone happy but he sure tried to satisfy a good majority of them.

He knew how people had doubted him from the start, it was to be expected since he was so young. It wasn’t just people from the outside but internally as well, shareholders and employees alike doubted his capability so he strived, he strived to prove his capability at running the company and so far he had been doing a pretty darn good job. And after five years he was happy to say that he was pretty proud of where he was at the moment, his employees loved him and no one doubted him anymore. If anyone was still doubting him after these last five years, the opening in America was sure to shut them up. Now all Seungcheol needed was to find a partner so his mother would stop trying to set him up with all her friends’ sons.

“Cheol, Wonwoo needs you to sign off on these documents,” Jeonghan announced as he walked into the room. He placed a couple of papers on the CEO’s desk before turning to his friend. “Shua, you haven’t briefed me on Seungcheol’s schedule yet.”

“Oh crap, I totally forgot,” the PA exclaimed. “I’ll email it to you now so you can go over it and just let me know if there’s anything you don’t understand. I’ll let you know if there are any changes.”

“How’s your first day going, Jeonghan?” The CEO asked while looking at the secretary.

Jeonghan shrugged. “If I’m being honest, pretty boring. I ended up helping the finance department cause I had nothing to do.”

“Ah, sorry about that,” Seungcheol apologised. “Things are pretty hectic at the moment with the store opening coming up and all. I promise I’ll have some work for you tomorrow.”

Jeonghan nodded. “Well, I’m going for a toilet break in case anybody wonders where I am.” He winked at the CEO before promptly exiting the room.

Seungcheol felt a little dumbfounded. Was that a signal for him or was Jeonghan just being cheeky? Not wanting to risk it, the CEO got up and made an excuse about needing to go check on something before he walked out of the room. He smiled and waved at anyone he saw as he walked to the restroom. He was nervous and his palms were starting to sweat, the CEO had never done something like this before and it was kinda thrilling.

He coughed. “Uh, Jeonghan?” He called out to the seemingly empty restroom and his voice echoed.

“In here, Cheol,” Jeonghan’s voice called out and the door to the last stall swung open.

The CEO sheepishly stepped inside to see Jeonghan grinning wickedly. “I’ve never done this before,” he admitted, eyes darting around the stall.

“I can tell,” Jeonghan laughed. “I heard there’s a rule about the boss being off-limits, anyway.”

Seungcheol’s eyes widened a little and his eyebrows raised. “Really? I didn’t hear about that.”

The other man merely shrugged and took a few steps towards Seungcheol. “Kiss me, Cheol.”

The CEO didn’t need to be told twice. Placing his hand on the other’s face and the other on the other on the man’s waist, he pulled Jeonghan closer and placed a tender kiss on his lips. At the sound of Jeonghan’s whining, he chuckled and began to move his lips. Jeonghan tasted like coffee and Seungcheol decided that coffee might be his new favourite drink. The sound of the door swinging open and footsteps made him freeze but Jeonghan kept going and bit Seungcheol’s lip to get his attention. He responded and his lips started to move again.

“Did you see the boss’s new secretary?” Someone said. “I’d like to get some of that.”

“Not if I get there first,” the other man challenged and they both laughed.

Jeonghan pulled away, feeling disgusted at the men’s words, they were talking about him as if he was some sort of prize money to be won. He felt Seungcheol’s grip on his waist tightened. Seungcheol didn’t know why but he felt possessive and he thought it was crazy to feel this way about someone he barely knew. Silently, he brought a finger to his lips to instruct the secretary to remain silent as he opened the door and walked out.

“Fellas, that’s no way to talk about someone,” he reprimanded in that CEO voice of his that radiated with authority.

The two men who were washing their hands saw their boss in the mirror and immediately turned around to face him. “Mr Choi, sir, w-we were just joking around. R-right, man?” The man on the right stuttered and turned to look at his friend for support.

“Y-yeah,” the other man stuttered. “Just joking.”

Seungcheol eyed the two of them warily. “Well if I hear Jeonghan complain about the two of you, you’ll be in big trouble. You should know that I don’t tolerate this kind of behaviour in my company.”

The two men nodded furiously. “Y-yes, of course, sir,” the one on the left squeaked.

“Alright, now leave,” Seungcheol commanded and the two dashed out. Seungcheol was loved by his employees but they still respected him enough to fear him at times like these.

“Th-that w-was amazing!” Jeonghan exclaimed between laughs. “The-they were so sc-scared!” He walked out of the stall and towards a blushing Seungcheol. “It was kinda hot too, Cheolie.”

Smirking, Seungcheol wrapped his arms around the secretary's small waist as Jeonghan’s came around his neck. “Cheolie?” He parroted, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Jeonghan cocked his head to the side, an innocent look on his face. “Yeah. You don’t like it?”

In response, the CEO pecked his lips. “It’s cute.” All of a sudden, his face crumbled as he recalled what had happened a few moments ago. “Y-you don’t think I was too harsh, do you?” His voice full of concern.

The secretary shook his head. “Not at all. You were just being very firm which is good to help set them straight.”

“If any of those guys or anyone bothers you, you let me know okay, Hannie?” Seungcheol pecked the other man’s lips again.

“Hannie?” It was Jeonghan’s turn to be amused.

“Yeah. You don’t like it?” The CEO repeated his words and chuckled.

“I like it,” Jeonghan replied. “And thanks, Cheolie, for what you did.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” the CEO told him. “I just don’t tolerate that kind of behaviour in my company and in general. How dare they talk about you like you’re just some object.” He could feel himself getting worked up again.

The other man pressed a light kiss to his jaw. “Calm down, Cheolie.” He grabbed the CEO’s face in his hands and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. “We have to get back. Josh will start wondering where you are.”

After checking on their appearances to make sure neither of their lips were swollen, the two returned. Jeonghan left first followed by Seungcheol a few minutes later. Nobody paid Jeonghan any mind but everyone greeted their CEO and he greeted them back with a kind smile on his face. Stepping back into his office, he felt a little nervous. Joshua could usually read him well so he was afraid that his PA would find out that he made out with Jeonghan in a stall of their office restroom.

“Josh, what’s our policy on reports of sexual harassment?” He suddenly asked.

The PA raised his eyebrows but didn’t voice his confusion. “I believe they are to be thoroughly investigated and if the allegations are true then the guilty party is fired without any consideration of their job titles.”

The CEO nodded. “Good, good.” He got back to work after that, only speaking to Joshua about work-related matters.

Soon, the work day ended and Joshua excused himself earlier than usual, Suengcheol called out a ‘have a nice dinner’ as the PA walked out. He usually wouldn’t leave until the boss left but today was an exception because of the dinner with his parents. He informed Jeonghan that they would be leaving soon and that the driver was on the way over. The secretary nodded and started to pack up. Before leaving, Jeonghan poked his head into the CEO’s office.

“See you tomorrow, Cheolie,” he called out with a wave. “Don’t stay up so late or you’ll get wrinkles!”

The CEO laughed and waved him off, turning back to his work. Standing right outside, Joshua had heard the exchange. _Cheolie_ , he thought to himself bitterly. He used ‘Cheol’ which wasn’t a big difference from ‘Cheolie’, but somehow the two extra alphabets Jeonghan added made Joshua’s fists clench. As always, he kept his feelings to himself and started walking towards the elevator with Jeonghan following a few steps behind him, a large grin on his face. The car ride back to Joshua’s place was filled with small talk about Jeonghan’s first day, the PA was upset and nervous at the same time. Suddenly, a cold hand covered his own.

“Hey,” Jeonghan called to him softly. “It’s gonna be alright. I’m here for you, Shua.” He was giving his friend a reassuring smile that made Joshua feel guilty for being angry at him in the first place.

The PA sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I always dread these monthly dinners,” he confessed. “It’s like we’re all treading on thin ice with only you to reel us in. I really appreciate you being there, Han.” He turned to give his friend a hug.

“I’ll always be there for you, Joshy,” he whispered in his friend’s ear. “Even when you’re annoyed at me and tell me to leave you alone, I’ll still be there.”

Joshua laughed at his friend’s words as he pulled away from the hug, feeling slightly better. Mr Park pulled up to Joshua’s apartment complex and the duo thanked the driver before stepping, Jeonghan leading the way. He keyed in the password before letting Joshua lead the way. Jeonghan had been here many times in the last few years, Joshua was his best friend after all. The guest bedroom in the apartment was unofficially his, he had some clothes in a drawer there as well as a toothbrush in the bathroom. He would crash at Joshua’s place after a night out since it was closer to the bar they frequented.

Setting away their belongings, the two washed their hands and got to preparing the meal. “We’re gonna keep it simple,” Joshua stated. “Fried rice and pajeon.” Jeonghan nodded and opened his mouth to say something but the other man cut him off, “No carrot, I know, Han.”

Jeonghan clapped his hands together in delight. “Yay!” He cheered.

Moving harmoniously, the two began to cook. Joshua chopping up the ingredients with precision and Jeonghan working the stove. Neither of them said a word, Jeonghan was focused on the task at hand and Joshua focused on keeping the feeling of dread at bay. He wasn’t on bad terms with his parents, per say. It was just awkward ever since he came out to them in university. He was glad that they didn’t shun him and throw him out of the house but ever since then, they’ve been weird around him which made him hate interacting with them. Sometimes they’d ask wrong questions like ‘when are you gonna settle down with a nice girl?’ without meaning to, but sometimes they did.

For a long time, his parents had been convinced that Jeonghan was the reason their son was gay. Jeonghan had come out way earlier than he did but by then, Joshua already knew he was gay and had already confided in his best friend. Jeonghan’s parents had been far more open and accepting, nothing was awkward between them and Joshua felt a little envious. His parents thought that being around gay people made you gay and that Joshua was dating Jeonghan. It took some time to convince them that the two were just very good friends and Joshua’s sexual orientation had nothing to do with his friend. He hated how things were. He used to be so close to his parents and couldn’t go a day without speaking to them but that had been reduced to monthly phone calls and these monthly dinners. He doesn’t know if things will ever be okay between them but he wants them to.

The rice cooker beeped, signalling it was done, and Joshua went over to turn it off. He sighed as he scooped out the rice into a large bowl before handing it to Jeonghan. “Why do we do this, Han? Why do my parents and I keep up with these ridiculous monthly dinners?” He wondered.

Without turning to him, Jeonghan replied, “Maybe they want things to get better but you’re too busy believing it’s so awkward and things will never be the same again to try and makes things better between you guys.”

Trust his best friend to be brutally honest with him. To be honest, Joshua had never thought of it like that before. He’d always wondered why his parents bothered with these dinners but never once thought that it could possibly be because they just wanted to fix their relationship and just talk to him. Sure, they said the wrong things at times but who doesn’t? Nobody’s perfect and maybe it was time Joshua stopped dreading dinner with his parents. Jeonghan noted a shift in his friend’s mood as they carried on preparing the meal. The other man was a little less gloomy now.

Joshua’s parents arrived at seven and he greeted them with a smile on his face. If they’d notice the change in his attitude towards them, they didn’t show it. Jeonghan, after finishing up with the washing, came out of the kitchen to greet them with a hug each.

“Something smells good,” Joshua’s mother commented.

Her son smiled sheepishly. “It’s nothing special, mom. Just fried rice and pajeon.”

The two friends brought the food out and placed it on the already set dining table. It was made to accommodate four people so it fit them, and the food, just nicely. Observing their manners, the duo waited for Joshua’s parents to start eating before they did. They ate in silence, only the sound of cutlery hitting the dishes could be heard.

“This is good,” Joshua’s father complimented. “You’re both good at cooking.”

“Thanks, dad.”

“Thanks, Mr Hong!”

“So Jeonghan, what are you up to these days?” Mr Hong asked halfway through the meal.

Jeonghan perked up at the question. “Josh actually got me a job at his company. Today was my first day.”

“Oh? So, you work at SVT now?”

“Yes, I do,” Jeonghan confirmed.

Mr Hong nodded in understanding. “I see,” he said. “It’s a good company. I was quite surprised when Josh managed to get a job there.”

“Well, Josh is qualified and has good recommendations so I, for one, _wasn’t_ surprised,” Jeonghan defended.

The older man sighed. “I didn’t mean it that way,” he explained. “I just meant that getting a job at a company as esteemed as SVT and at such a young age is quite an achievement for anyone.” He turned to look at his son and for the first time in years, Joshua looked back. “I’m proud of you, son.”

Joshua choked on a sob. “Dad,” he sobbed. “Mom.” He turned and, through tears that he desperately tried to blink away, looked at his mother for the first time in years. She looked older than he remembered, more wrinkles and grey hair; a sign of age.

It was only then Joshua realised that all this time it wasn’t his parents who were repelling, it was him. It wasn’t them who stopped looking, it was him. They’ve been looking, they’ve been watching him grow while he’s tried to ignore them. This realisation made him break down, tears flowing as sobs wracked his body. He felt arms wrap around him, the warm arms of his parents that he had been so desperately craving all these years. He cried, his parents cried, they cried together. Jeonghan gingerly stood to the side and observed the heartwarming scene.

“I’m s-sorry,” he managed to choke out. “A-all this time...I’ve been h-horrible!” The crying subsided, he was left a tear-stained, hiccuping mess. “I-I’m so sorry!”

“You don’t have to apologise, son,” his father told him in a soft voice. Joshua has never heard his father’s voice sound like that, so raw and full of emotion.

“We love you no matter what,” his mother said tenderly as she pulled him in for another hug and placed a kiss on his forehead.

Jeonghan cooed at the sight and offered the family some tissues. He knew that he no longer needed to attend these family dinners anymore. He offered to clear the dishes while the Hong family got to catch up. From the kitchen, he smiled at the sound of chatter and laughter. He knew just how much his friend had been hurting and he was glad that it has come to an end.

The dinner lasted twice as long than it normally did and it was well past eleven by the time Joshua was hugging his parents goodbye with the promise of having dinner again next week. With a satisfied sigh, he plopped himself onto his couch and stared at the blank screen of his TV. He was over the moon with this new development in his relationship with his parents and he was glad they fixed everything before it was too late. He knew his parents wouldn’t be around forever and he cursed himself for being so blind to all their efforts at trying to reach out to him.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Jeonghan asked as he plopped himself on the couch next to his friend who nodded in response. “That was nice. I felt a little like an intruder but I’m glad you guys finally settled things.” He picked up the remote to turn the TV on and settled on a channel that was playing the movie ‘Meet The Fockers’.

“You’re still welcomed to join us for dinner, Han,” Joshua offered with a smile.

Jeonghan pretended to think about it. “Na, I’m good. I’ll just join in every once in a blue moon.”

They watched the movie in a comfortable silence until Joshua remembered what he needed to talk to his friend about. “Han,” he started turning to look at his friend, “you need to back off from Seungcheol.”

The other man groaned. “This again? Seriously? I get that there’s an unspoken rule and shit but I don’t care!”

“I know you don’t but others do and what if things don’t work out between you guys?” He asked, trying his best to stay calm. “You might lose your job.”

Jeonghan rolled his eyes. “I doubt Seungcheol is petty enough to do that and I’m a professional, I wouldn’t let it affect my work life.”

“Jeonghan, I just think that—”

The secretary threw his hands up in the air in frustration and cut his friend off, “Seriously, cut it out! I don’t understand what’s so bad me liking Cheol!”

“I’m in love with him!” Joshua blurted much to Jeonghan’s surprise as well as his own. “I’m...I’m in love with him, Han. I have been for the last three years.”

Jeonghan bit his bottom lip, trying to think of what to say. “You should have told me, Joshy. I’m sorry.” He pouted and hugged his friend. “I promise I’ll back off, okay?"

Joshua let out a sigh and returned the hug. “Thanks, Han.”

The two pulled away and turned back to the screen but neither were paying attention to the movie. Jeonghan hadn’t known about his friend’s feelings towards their boss. He internally cursed himself for it, he was Joshua’s best friend, damn it, he should have noticed. He glanced over at his friend who was already fast asleep and smiled, he was glad to have a friend like Joshua. He vowed that tomorrow he would act like his and Seungcheol’s little rendezvous in the restroom didn’t happen. He was just about to fall asleep when his phone buzzed with a notification followed immediately by another one so he decided to check it.

 

**00:12**

**From: Unknown**

Hey, are you free for dinner tomorrow?

**00:12**

**From: Unknown**

It’s Cheol, by the way.

 

Jeonghan thought that pretending their little rendezvous didn't happen was going to be hard when he sees Seungcheol's gorgeous face tomorrow. He couldn’t even comprehend how to respond to the texts from the exact person he was trying to escape from. He sighed and let his phone screen fade to black so the texts were no longer glaring at him. Reluctantly, he dragged himself to the guest bedroom—his bedroom—after throwing a soft blanket over Joshua. That night he fell asleep with the lingering feel of Seungcheol's plump lips on his and warm hands on his waist.

 


	3. Uh, Mr Park, where are we going?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As hard as he tried to, Jeonghan didn’t manage to get the CEO out of his mind.

At the sound of his alarm, Jeonghan woke in a bed that wasn’t his own but felt familiar. His eyes drifted to the note on the nightstand, groaning after a stretch, he picked it up to read it. In Joshua’s handwriting read: ‘ _Left early for Cheol’s meeting. Coffee and breakfast in the kitchen for you. Mr Park will pick you up at 9.30. - Josh’._ As hard as he tried to, Jeonghan didn’t manage to get the CEO out of his mind. He dreamt of being in Seungcheol’s warm arms and he felt safe. Shaking his head to get rid of his thoughts, he stood up to get some work clothes then took a shower; a freezing cold shower.

He received a message at 9.30 a.m. sharp from Mr Park informing Jeonghan of his arrival. Sending back a quick text of acknowledgement, he checked himself in the mirror once more before slipping on his shoes and shutting the door on his way out. His leg bounced nervously the whole ride to the office as he mentally prepared himself to face Seungcheol. He hadn’t replied to the texts, couldn’t even bring himself to open them. It seemed like the ride to the office was too short and soon he was standing in front of the building.

Seeing Seungcheol was inevitable but Jeonghan didn’t have to show how affected he was. Back straight and smile on his face, he braced himself to face his boss. After setting his belongings down at his desk, he knocked and at the sound of a muffled ‘come in’ he took a deep breath before turning the doorknob and walking in. “Good morning,” he greeted Seungcheol and Joshua. He avoided looking at Seungcheol. “I see I have some work to do today so I’ll get to it right away.” He gave the two a wave before stepping back out. The secretary let out a breath of relief and placed his hand on his chest where his heart was beating rapidly.

Taking his seat, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned to the pile of work left on his table. The door of the office opened but he didn’t pay it any mind. Seungcheol walked past and discreetly placed a piece of paper on the secretary’s desk. Eyes scanning the report in his hands, he tried not to think about the note but eventually, curiosity got the best of him and he picked it up. It read: _‘Meet me at the same place as yesterday, I’ll be waiting. - Cheolie’_ Scrunching up the paper and tossing it in the trash, Jeonghan sat there as he debated with himself on whether or not he should go meet his boss. On one hand, he didn’t want to leave Seungcheol waiting and wondering why Jeonghan didn’t show up; on the other hand, he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist Seungcheol.

Sighing, he got up and walked over to the restroom. He didn’t want to leave Seungcheol standing there and waiting for him. He wanted to make it clear to the CEO that they couldn’t be anything together. With sweaty palms, he pushed open the door to the restroom and walked in. He walked over to the stall he knew Seungcheol would be in and knocked. “Cheol, it’s me,” he called out, voice a little shaky. The door to the stall swung open and there stood the CEO in all his gorgeous glory. Jeonghan quickly stepped in and locked the door behind him.

“Hannie, what’s wrong?” Seungcheol immediately asked, his face twisted with concern as Jeonghan kept his head down. “You didn’t reply to my texts last night and you won’t even look at me. Did I do something wrong?”

The confusion mixed with guilt in Seungcheol’s voice felt like a stab to Jeonghan’s heart. “I...I just—” He looked up at Seunghceol’s face, it was full of pure concern for the secretary, and Jeonghan snapped. _Fuck it_ , he thought to himself as he grabbed a fistful of the CEO’s shirt to pull him closer and pressed their lips together. It was an urgent and needy kiss; Seungcheol tasted of peppermint and Jeonghan knew that he’d think about the CEO whenever he smelled peppermint from now on.

At the shrill ring of Jeonghan’s phone cutting through the silence in the restroom, he pulled away, absolutely annoyed, and answered it. “Hello?” He said.

“Han, I placed a couple of reports on your desk. I need them back by the end of the day,” Joshua told him.

Seungcheol was still peppering butterfly kisses on Jeonghan’s jaw and the butterflies in his stomach were flapping their wings in delight. “Alright, will do,” he answered, trying to maintain an even voice.  

“Where are you?” The PA questioned. “It’s echoey on your side.”

“I’m, uh,” Jeonghan wracked his brain for an excuse. “I’m pooping! I’m pooping in the restroom, that’s why it's so echoey.” He felt the CEO’s body rumble against his with silent laughter. Joshua merely sighed and hung up.

“You’re pooping? That’s the best you got, Yoon Jeonghan?” Seungcheol laughed as Jeonghan playfully hit his arm. “You’re adorable.” He smirked at the blush that dusted the secretary’s cheeks at his words.

“You’re annoying,” Jeonghan retorted and stuck his tongue out playfully at the CEO.

“I know better things you can do with that tongue, babe,” Seungcheol said suggestively and chuckled at Jeonghan’s blushing face. “Hannie,” his voiced turned serious, “are you okay? I really thought I did something wrong.”

Jeonghan shook his head. “No, you didn’t,” he replied. “It’s just kinda scary to feel so strongly for someone I barely know so I tried to run away.” And it wasn’t a lie. It was pretty daunting to feel this way about someone he barely knew.

“Jeonghan, we’re in this together,” Seungcheol declared. “I’m not letting you run away.” He placed a tender kiss on the other man’s lips and felt him shudder in delight.

“God, Seungcheol,” Jeonghan breathed out. “I want this. I want this so bad.” It had been so long since he felt this way, the butterflies in his stomach and the lingering feel of warm lips against his own.

Seungcheol responded by pulling the other in for another kiss, this one slower and sweeter. It was as if he was conveying all his feelings through this one kiss and the other man was responding with the same passion. And it was crazy, feeling this way, yet exhilarating at the same time. Being with Jeonghan like this, with the other in Seungcheol’s arms and so sure that he felt the same way, it was nothing short of addicting and Seungcheol wanted to drown in it.

“Cheol,” Jeonghan whispered as they pulled away. “We need to keep this from Josh.”

Seungcheol’s face twisted with a look of confusion. “Why? Josh is our friend.”

“I just don’t need him lecturing me on how unprofessional it is to be dating the boss,” he lied and tried to keep his guilt at bay. “It’ll just be for a while.”

The two returned, lips a little swollen and a smile playing at the corner of their lips, at separate times so no one would suspect anything. Going back to work was hard when all Jeonghan could think about Seungcheol’s teeth nibbling on his lip. Shaking his head, he forced his focus back to his work. He needed to remain professional in the office but with the occasional make-out session with his boss.

 

**11:30 a.m.**

**From: Cheolie**

_So dinner?_

 

Jeonghan smiled as he typed his reply.

 

**11:30 a.m.**

**From: Hannie**

_Depends on whats on the menu ;)_

 

Joshua tried not to notice Seungcheol smiling down at his phone.

 

**11:31 a.m.**

**From: Cheolie**

_Whatever you want, babe ;)_

 

**11:31 a.m.**

**From: Cheolie**

_But I was thinking steak._

 

Jeonghan let out a small laugh.

 

**11:31 a.m.**

**From: Hannie**

_Steak? Sounds great. Count me it!_

 

**11:32 a.m.**

**From: Cheolie**

_I’ll ask Mr Park to pick you up later. See you tonight, Hannie._

 

Seungcheol opened his mouth to call out to Joshua but remembering Jeonghan’s words from before, he decided to text Mr Park himself and ask him to send the secretary to his home after work. Focusing on work was hard when he knew he’d be alone with Jeonghan later. Internally screaming, his eyes skim through the same line of the email for what seemed to be the hundredth time now. He would be alone with Jeonghan. Alone with a very good looking secretary of his. The CEO felt the heat crawl up his neck and face as he thought about what might happen, what he wanted to happen later.

“Cheol, are you alright?” Joshua asked noticing Seungcheol’s flustered face. “You don’t look too hot.”

“I-I’m fine,” Seungcheol managed to get out and he internally cringed at how he stuttered. Pushing his not so innocent thoughts out of his mind, the CEO returned his attention to the email he’d been reading for the last ten minutes.

“I’ve emailed you all the notes from this morning’s meetings,” Joshua informed.

Seungcheol hummed in acknowledgement as he resisted the urge to text Jeonghan. He quickly skimmed through a couple of emails and replied before texting his housekeeper to check whether he had the ingredients for steak. Call him a typical rich guy but he quite enjoyed having steak with a good bottle of wine paired with it. Should he light some candles to set the mood later or would that be a little too much? He wanted to laugh at how he was acting right now as if it his first date. Well, it was his first date with _Jeonghan_ and he really wanted to impress the other man.

Time seemed to pass by so slowly today. Jeonghan stretched as he got up from his desk with a groan. Deciding to go bother Wonwoo and to see if he could be of any help, he got up and started walking over to the financial department. Voices coming from the pantry made his ears perk up and he stopped walking. Jeonghan knew it wasn’t nice to eavesdrop but he couldn’t help it, you never knew what you’d find out. One time he found out one of his university professors was sleeping with a classmate of his; he hadn’t done anything with that information but it was still fun to know people’s secrets.

“Soonyoung, not here and not now. We’re at work.” He heard a voice that sounded familiar.

“Soonyou—mmph—”

“Jihoon, you know I’m still waiting for your answer, and I will keep waiting. Regardless,” the person who Jihoon had addressed as Soonyoung said in a serious voice.

Jeonghan heard footsteps coming his way from the pantry and decided it was time to take his leave. So the project leader had a thing with another employee? Jeonghan didn’t know the man Jihoon was talking to but he’d just find out by asking Joshua. Smirking at the juicy gossip he had, his best friend would be the only to hear about it, he continued his journey to the finance department with a spring in his step. Quickly spotting Wonwoo, who was buried deep in paperwork, Jeonghan walked over to the finance director.

“Yahoo, Wonwoo,” he singsonged. “Whatcha up to?” The finance director didn’t respond and Jeonghan huffed in annoyance. “It’s not nice to ignore your elders, you know,” he tried again, this time a little louder.

At that, Wonwoo noticed Jeonghan’s presence at looked up. “Oh sorry hyung, I didn’t see you there,” he apologised. “I have a lot of work to do so what can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to come see you, Wonwoo!” Jeonghan said at the same time someone called out, “Wonwoo-hyung!”

The secretary’s head shot around to see a tall, good-looking man approaching them with flowers in his hand. His face looked familiar and Jeonghan tried to figure where he knew this man from. He squinted as he thought and suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. “Ahhh,” he suddenly said. “You’re the brand’s model! Mingyu, right?”

The other man nodded. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met before.”

“I’m Cheol’s new secretary, Jeonghan,” he introduced and shook the other man’s hand. “Nice to meet you!”

“What are you doing here, Gyu?” The finance director asked the model. “I told you I’m really busy.”

“I know,” Mingyu replied. “But I wanted to make sure you were still eating properly so I ordered some food.” The man grinned, visibly proud of his own plan. “You can keep working, I won’t disturb you. I just want to be with you.”

Wonwoo rubbed his face with his hands in a subtle attempt to hide his blush but Jeonghan still noticed and it brought a small smile on his face. They were adorable. “I hope you ordered chicken,” he mumbled.

“Of course I did, hyung!”

Jeonghan took in the sight and wished he could be like this with Seungcheol. He really hated needing to hide his newfound relationship from his best friend but it was all he could do in order to prevent hurting Joshua; but then again, maybe it would hurt him even more if he were to find out Jeonghan went behind his back. Well, Jeonghan would cross that bridge with Seungcheol when they got to it. He quickly excused himself after telling the finance director to let him know if any help was needed. Checking his watch, Jeonghan saw that it was almost time for his lunch break and he wondered what he should eat.

“Jeonghan-hyung!” A voice called out.

Jeonghan turned to see who it was and his blood ran cold. Quickening his pace, he desperately tried to escape Seokmin but there was only so many places to run to on one floor. Ultimately, he found himself cornered in the pantry with no escape route in sight. He quickly tried to think of ways to evade the questions Seokmin might ask him as he saw the man rushing over.

“Jeonghan-hyung,” Seokmin called out as he walked towards the older man. “Why are you running from me?”

“I’m not,” Jeonghan denied, looking at anywhere but Seokmin. “Why’d you have to follow me?” He crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.

“I just...wanted to talk to you,” Seokmin confessed, sounding a little hurt. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for years, hyung.” He took a step closer but Jeonghan took a step back. The older man tried not to let the PR director’s hurt expression affect him. “There's so many things I want to ask.”

“Well, I don’t have anything to say to you,” Jeonghan stated, venom dripping from his words. He didn’t hate Seokmin, he just didn’t like digging up his past and Seokmin was a part of his past that he was ashamed of. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He moved to walk past the younger man but Seokmin grabbed his arm.

“Hyung, stop running away from me,” Seokmin said firmly. “You ran away last time, I just wanted to know why.”

Jeonghan opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by his best friend. “Ah, Han, there you are,” Joshua said, stepping into the pantry. He noticed the tense atmosphere but didn’t comment on it. “It’s time for lunch and Cheol is asking if you’d like to join us.”

Shaking his arm free of Seokmin’s hold, Jeonghan nodded. “Sure.” Without another glance at the younger male, he walked out of the pantry with Joshua hot on his heels. “You really have great timing, Shua.” He sighed in relief and ran a hand through his hair.

“Was that Seokmin?” Joshua guessed and the other man nodded in reply. “Are you okay? What happened? What did he want?”

“So many questions.” The secretary tsked. “We bumped into each other and he started following me. He ended up cornering me in the pantry and I guess he was trying to ask about _that_.” He sounded nonchalant but his heart was squeezing painfully at the thought of Seokmin’s hurt expression

Joshua placed a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Maybe you should talk to him,” he suggested in a soft voice. “He’s probably been wondering about it all these years.”

Jeonghan shook his head. “I know, I know,” he replied. “But I don’t know if I can bring myself to talk about it. It’s a part of my past I’d like to forget.”

“I know that but Seokmin deserves closure.”

Joshua’s words rang through Jeonghan’s mind all through lunch. He was so occupied that he missed all of Seungcheol’s subtle brushes and smiles. The CEO was slightly confused by Jeonghan’s lack of reaction but decided that he would bring it up later tonight. Jeonghan agreed with the fact that Seokmin did deserve some closure but he was afraid. He didn’t know if he could look Seokmin in the eye, he didn’t think he deserved to; definitely not after what he did.

The day dragged on with more reports and more paperwork for Jeonghan to sort out. Occasionally answering calls that he directed to Joshua, he just waited for the end of the workday. Eventually, Wonwoo did call for him and the secretary happily lent a hand in filing and double checking the finance director’s documents. He had to deliver documents to the marketing department and he got a chance to speak with the interns, they were absolutely lovely. Soon, it was 6 p.m. which meant the workday was finally over. Seungcheol had told him to leave first so it wouldn’t seem suspicious. After packing up, Jeonghan popped his head into the office to inform the CEO and his friend that he was going home.

“Uh, Mr Park, where are we going?” Jeonghan asked the driver when he realised he had no idea which restaurant Seungcheol had decided on.

“Why, to Mr Choi’s home of course,” Mr Park laughed. “He didn’t tell you?”

“No, he didn’t,” Jeonghan mumbled in the backseat.

‘ _Oh God, I’m going to Choi Seungcheol’s house_ ,’ Jeonghan thought to himself. The realisation that they’d be alone the whole night suddenly dawned on him and he started feeling a little jittery. After the long day at work, he really wished he could have taken a shower before their date. Subtly, he leaned his face down towards his armpit and took a sniff to see if he smelled bad. _Nope_ , he thought, _still smell like cologne_. He sighed in relief, it would be embarrassing to reek of body odour on his first date with the CEO. Still, he would’ve liked to take a shower just to feel more comfortable.

 

**6:11 p.m.**

**From: Hannie**

_Cheolie~ Can I use your shower?_

 

**6:12 p.m.**

**From: Cheolie**

_Of course you can, Hannie. My room is the one on the first door on the right when you walk up the stairs. You can go ahead and wear my clothes._

 

Again, Jeonghan felt the butterflies. Wearing Seungcheol’s clothes? He felt a blush creep up his neck and face at the thought of it, if Mr Park were to see him in the mirror now he’d look like a tomato. Soon, they were in the richer neighbourhood of Seoul where all the houses looked like Jeonghan’s dream home. Jeonghan was in awe as he took in the sight of all the huge homes, at the moment he could only dream of owning a house. Mr Park pulled up to one that had huge, tall gates and typed in the password on some fancy intercom that the secretary had only seen in movies before driving in. If Jeonghan thought the gates were amazing, the actual house blew him away. With four-stories, the house was huge with a lot of land surrounding it and it had a rustic feel to it. It was hard to imagine that Seungcheol lives in such a huge house alone. If Jeonghan had a big house like this, he’d make Joshua move in with him so he wouldn’t be lonely.

“Here we are, Mr Yoon,” Mr Park announced as they pulled up to the front of the house. The driver reached into the glove compartment to pull out a key before handing it to Jeonghan. “Mr Choi said to let yourself in and make yourself at home while you wait.”

Jeonghan took the key. He didn’t even feel worthy to hold the key to such marvellous house. “Thanks, Mr Park.” He got out of the car and waved as Mr Park drove off.

Standing in front of the double oak doors of the mansion, Jeonghan let out an impressed whistle. He carefully slid the key into the door lock and turned it till he heard a click. The interior was far more impressive than the exterior. It was decorated to Jeonghan's taste. Everything was simple and clean cut with leather furniture and minimal decorations, with the exception of various family photos littering the wall near the kitchen. The floors were of hardwood to give a warm touch in contrast to the cold colours. Sophisticated but with a homey touch, concluded Jeonghan. It was clear that the man cherished his family a lot and Jeonghan liked that. He had to admit, Seungcheol had good taste. Giving himself a tour of the place made him feel like he was intruding so he hurried up the stairs and into Seungcheol’s room. The first thing the secretary did was plop himself onto the bed and let out a small sigh of satisfaction. It was cosy and Jeonghan had to resist the urge to sleep. Forcing himself off the bed, he walked over to what he assumed was the CEO’s closet. _Of course, it has to be a walk in closet_ , thought Jeonghan as he looked around in awe.

 

**6:36 p.m.**

**From: Cheolie**

_Hey Hannie, just wanted to check if you got to my place safely?_

 

**6:36 p.m.**

**From: Hannie**

_Yes I did! Your place is amazing!!!_

 

**6:37 p.m.**

**From: Cheolie**

_I’m glad you like it. Mr Park is on the way to pick me up now so just wait a little longer._

 

**6:37 p.m.**

**From: Hannie**

_See you soon xxx_

 

Skimming through the CEO’s selection of clothes, Jeonghan decided to go with a more comfortable choice of sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt. As he walked into the bathroom, he realised he had no towels but then his eyes landed on a stack of fresh towels on a rack. ‘ _Damn, this place feels like a hotel_ ’, he thought to himself as he took the towel on top of the stack. Quickly stripping himself and placing his clothes neatly by the sink, he hopped into the shower and savoured the feeling of warm water running down his body. He couldn’t help but think that this water felt cold compared to the warmth Seungcheol radiated. After a thorough washing, the secretary got out of the shower and dried himself off before putting on the clothes he borrowed from Seungcheol. His phone started ringing as he relaxed on Seungcheol’s bed and the caller ID showed that it was the man he was waiting on.

“Hey, Hannie,” Seungcheol greeted through the phone. “Sorry for making you wait so long but I’m about five minutes away.”

“It’s fine. I had a nice shower,” Jeonghan said. “I can’t wait to see you, Cheolie.”

Seungcheol chuckled. “I can’t wait to see you too, Hannie.” Jeonghan could hear the muffled sound of the radio playing from Seungcheol’s end. “I promise you’ll enjoy the steak. I make good steak. Right, Mr Park?” A soft ‘yeah, he does’ was the driver’s response.

“I’m sure you do, Cheolie,” Jeonghan laughed. “Man, your bed is so comfy I might actually fall asleep.”

“Go ahead. I’ll wake you up when dinner is done,” the CEO promised. “I’ll have to take a shower before I start cooking anyways so you have some time to nap.”

Jeonghan grinned. “Alright, well I’ll see you in a bit then.”

“Yeah, see you soon, Hannie.” Seungcheol hung up and Jeonghan let his eyes close as he fell asleep with the thought of steak.

The secretary woke up on his own accord. Seungcheol was definitely home because the previously empty laundry basket contained the clothes he was wearing today. Jeonghan stretched a bit before he made his way over to Seungcheol’s kitchen. Walking down the stairs, soft jazz music reached his ears. After a few wrong turns, it was honestly a huge house, Jeonghan finally found a kitchen and in it, he found a CEO, dressed similarly to him in sweatpants and a shirt, humming along to the music playing. Seungcheol was focused on the task at hand and he didn’t notice the secretary coming into the kitchen until Jeonghan wrapped his arms around his waist from behind.

“Hannie!” The CEO shrieked, causing Jeonghan to laugh. “Oh God, don’t just sneak up on me like that!” Seungcheol checked on the roasted vegetables that did not include carrots.

“Sorry, Cheolie,” the other man apologised sheepishly and placed a kiss on the back of Seungcheol’s neck. “Smells good.”

“Me or the food?” Seungcheol joked causing the secretary to playfully slap his arm. “It’ll taste just as good too,” he bragged. He may have grown up rich but he started to learn how to cook from a young age. Contrary to popular belief, he did not grow up with a personal chef preparing his meals, his mother did and he learned to cook from her. “I’ll start cooking the steak now so can you set up the table?” Jeonghan let go of him. “Cutlery is in the drawer next to the stove and wine glasses are in the cupboard next to the fridge.”

“Wine?” Jeonghan asked as he took out some cutlery and wine glasses for them. Seungcheol already had two plates on the kitchen counter to place the food on.

“The door to the wine cellar is on the left of the kitchen so go ahead and pick something out. I trust you to know which will pair well with our food,” the CEO said and proceeded to peck his secretary on the lips.

Jeonghan went down the stairs to the cellar two at a time and his jaw dropped at the sheer amount of bottles the cellar contained. The wines were categorised and each category had a marking above it. He skipped over to the sign that read ‘Merlot’ and skimmed through the section before picking one out. Contented with his choice, he went back to the kitchen to see Seungcheol cooking the steaks. The CEO handed him a corkscrew and Jeonghan poured the wine into a decanter, letting the wine breathe a while before their dinner started. Seungcheol smiled as he stared at Jeonghan's graceful moves, nearly overcooking their steak. "You sure know your wine,” he teased.

“Of course. I have an expensive taste after all,” smirked Jeonghan.

“I’ll be done in a few minutes so you can wait at the table, Hannie.”

“Nah,” Jeonghan drawled out as he once again wrapped his arms around the CEO from the back. “I think I’ll stay here with you.” He playfully started nibbling at Seungcheol’s earlobe causing the other man to hiss.

“Hannie, I’m gonna burn the steaks if you keep doing that,” Seungcheol cautioned as he tried hard to focus on the steaks rather than the cheeky secretary’s teeth on his ear.

“I’ll have you for dinner instead then, Cheolie,” Jeonghan purred in the CEO’s ear, dragging out each syllable of his name. He smirked as he felt Seungcheol shiver.

“Hannie,” Seungcheol breathed out.

“Alright, well I’ll leave you to it then,” the other man announced as he let go of Seungcheol and proceeded to sashay out of the kitchen.

“Fucking tease,” the CEO muttered under his breath as he checked on the steaks. Thankfully, he hadn’t burned them.

“Cheers,” Jeonghan said as he handed Seungcheol a glass of wine and they clinked glasses before taking a sip. “Ah,” Jeonghan sighed out in delight. “This is good.”

Seungcheol smiled at the beauty in front of him, face coloured with bliss and content.

Dinner was a lovely affair where Jeonghan purred over how good the steaks tasted and they got to know each other. It was oddly domestic and neither of them hated it. Comfortable. It was warm and it spoke hues of admiration they had for each other. Seungcheol found out how much Jeonghan loved art and how the secretary loved the paintings in his home. Jeonghan found out about how Seungcheol had wanted to be a musician when he was growing up but ultimately gave it up to take over the company. “I wasn’t even that good to begin with anyways,” he said.

“Well, I’d definitely like to hear your music,” Jeonghan told him and Seungcheol grinned in response.

“Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something,” Seungcheol recalled. “Why were you so out of it during lunch? Did something happen?” His voice was full of concern.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it Cheolie,” Jeonghan reassured with a smile.

Washing up was a pretty domestic affair as well with Jeonghan washing the plates and Seungcheol drying them as they both sang along to an oldie. The secretary felt his heart swell and once again realised how crazy it was to feel so strongly for someone he had only just met. He had gotten to know Seungcheol better over dinner but he knew there was so much more to learn about his boss and Jeonghan wanted to know everything. He wanted to know if the man preferred pie or cake. He wanted to know what his favourite flavour was. Most of all, he wanted to know what Choi Seungcheol looked like first thing in the morning; was his hair an unruly mess like Jeonghan’s was? What did his morning voice sound like? What was the first thing he did when he woke up? Jeonghan wanted to know more, not about Choi Seungcheol the hotshot CEO of SVT but about Choi Seungcheol the man who cooked great steaks and loved his family.

“Hannie,” Seungcheol called out as he put away the last dish. He walked over to where Jeonghan was standing and took the secretary’s hands in his. “I know we might be moving too fast and I know it’s super cliched to say this but it just feels right with you.” He sighed and tried to gather his thoughts. “I just want you to be comfortable so if you’re ever unsure about anything, please just let me know.” He looked at the other man, heart on his sleeves and vulnerable, and Jeonghan knew that Choi Seungcheol was the best thing that will ever happen to him.

They moved to the living room, conversation light and glass of wine in hand. Jeonghan told Seungcheol about his time in university and how he had been so worried about finding a good job during his final year. He talked about his friendship with Joshua, how the other had always been there for him and was always supportive. Seungcheol told him about his first year as CEO and how he had been so afraid to disappoint. He talked about how Joshua had always supported him and would tell him off when he was being stupid. They laughed more than they drank wine. Then Seungcheol decided he wanted to kiss Jeonghan so he leaned in and did so. Warm lips pressed upon another, the taste of wine lingering. He felt Jeonghan shiver a bit under his touch, body pliant and pressing closer to his, reciprocating the kiss with the same fervor as him.

One thing led to another and they were now in Seungcheol’s bedroom, him shirtless and lips attached to Jeonghan’s neck. The little moans and whines that slipped out from those cherry pink lips made him feel powerful. Powerful and excited.  He felt Jeonghan’s hand snaking down his back, lower and lower until—

“Cheol!” A painfully familiar voice echoed throughout the spacious house.

The two froze. “Joshua,” the both breathed out at the same time as if the name was a curse.

With a groan of annoyance, Seungcheol pushed himself off Jeonghan after pecking his lips again. “I’ll go see what he wants,” he grumbled and Jeonghan giggled at how grumpy he sounded.

Turns out Joshua forgot to get him to sign off on an important document that was due first thing in the morning. Keeping his annoyance—and lust—at bay, he signed the document and small talked Joshua as he tried to pretend that he hadn’t been all over the PA’s best friend just a minute ago. This whole exchange lasted ten, fifteen minutes at most but by the time Seungcheol returned to his room, the secretary was already sound asleep. He chuckled to himself as he climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around Jeonghan who snuggled against him.

In the morning, Mr Park dropped Jeonghan off at his apartment to change and sent Seungcheol to work first. After getting a kiss from the CEO, Jeonghan sent a text to Joshua telling him that he’d be late for work with the excuse of unexpected traffic. A pang of guilt coursed through him as soon as he sent it but he didn’t have time to worry about it. He had a lot on his mind, starting from the trail of hickeys on his neck, courtesy of Seungcheol, and how the CEO had asked him to spend the weekend at his place. In the end, he wore a turtleneck.

Weeks passed and as Jeonghan got to know Seungcheol better, he let himself fall deeper because he knew the other man would be there to catch him. He was over the moon and spending every other weekend at Seungcheol’s mansion. Seungcheol preferred pies over cakes. His favourite flavour was kiwi. And in the mornings, his hair was an unruly mess but Jeonghan liked to mess it up more by running his fingers through the soft tufts. His morning voice got Jeonghan going, it was deep and husky and there was absolutely no way he could resist it. The first thing Seungcheol did in the morning was drink a large glass of water. “To make up for all the hours I was asleep,” Seungcheol explained. Love wasn’t the word Jeonghan would use but it was pretty darn close.

 

**1:14 p.m.**

**From: Hannie**

_Restroom in 5_

 

And it was the way they snuck around under everyone’s noses that made Jeonghan feel all giddy. After getting a text of acknowledgement from the CEO, he made his was to the restroom and waited in the last stall. Some time passed before he heard the door open and footsteps approach. Three knocks on the stall signalled it was in fact the person he had been waiting for. Jeonghan immediately pulled Seungcheol in after locking the door and attached his lips to the other man’s.

“Are we—” a kiss on Seungcheol lips “—spending—” a bite on Seungcheol’s bottom lip “—the weekend—” a hiss of delight “—together?” Jeonghan asked.  

“Can’t, Hannie,” Seungcheol managed to get out as the secretary’s teeth assaulted his neck.

“Why?” The other man mumbled against his neck and pulled away to look at him.

Seungcheol sighed. “I forgot to tell you sooner but I’m going to America for about a month to oversee the operations and attend the launch,” he explained. “So I won’t be around for a while. I’m sorry, Hannie.”

Ignoring the apology, Jeonghan asked the questioned that was most important to him, “Is Josh going with you?”

“Yeah, of course, he is.”

Joshua going on a business trip with Seungcheol shouldn’t be a big deal since it was normal for a PA to be with his boss but Jeonghan was afraid of Seungcheol spilling the beans about their relationship. He couldn’t, didn’t want to imagine how royally pissed off Joshua would be if he were to find out. He had to find out some way to prevent Seungcheol from saying anything because he knew that even though he had asked the CEO to keep it from Joshua, there was still a chance that he’d blurt it out. It wasn't that Jeonghan didn’t trust his boyfriend, he was just extremely paranoid.

“Why can’t I go with you instead, Cheolie?”

The CEO chuckled. “Cause Josh is my PA, Hannie. No offense but Josh has more experience with these sorts of things.” He kissed the top of Jeonghan’s head. “I know you’ll miss me but I’ll text and call. Promise.”

Dropping the matter, Jeonghan and Seungcheol left the restroom. The secretary returned to his desk and checked his emails to see that Wonwoo had emailed him asking him to check on something. Seungcheol returned to his office and sat back down at his desk as if he wasn’t just making out in the restroom.

As the work day came to an end, Seungcheol knew they had to tie up all loose ends before the trip to America. With that in mind, he double-checked his to-do list and made sure everything had been done. The last thing on his list was to hand some signed documents over to the marketing department downstairs. A smirk came onto his face as he thought up a cheeky plan.

“Hey Shua, I need you to pass these to marketing,” Seungcheol instructed and handed the documents over to Joshua.

Seungcheol had given this task to Joshua right after six p.m. because he knew the elevators would usually take a long time since everyone would be rushing to go home. As soon as Joshua left, Seungcheol popped his head out of his office and signalled to Jeonghan to come in. Shutting the door behind them, Jeonghan situated himself on the CEO’s desk while Seungcheol remained standing as he leaned nearer to the other man.

“You know, this has always been one of my fantasies,” Jeonghan said. “To fuck on the boss’s desk.”

Seungcheol chuckled. “I don’t think we have enough time today but we’ll make it happen.” He leaned closer and kissed the other man. It was a heated kiss with lots of touching and lots of tongue.

Unbeknownst to them, Joshua had already successfully delivered the documents as he opted to take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevators. Walking back up was a bit of a challenge but he knew he’d have to wait at least fifteen minutes for the elevator. Making it back up to the top floor, the office was silent as most people had already left. He hummed a tune as he made his way back to his office. He noticed the desk out front was vacant so he assumed that Jeonghan was in the restroom. He opened the door and was greeted with the sight of his best friend sitting on the desk, lips locked with Joshua’s unrequited crush Seungcheol.

“What’s going on here?” He voiced.

The two immediately sprung apart at the sound of his voice, both wearing equal looks of guilt. “Shua, I can explain,” Jeonghan pleaded as he got off the desk.

Joshua looked at his friend in the eye. “You promised,” was all he needed to say. He swiftly turned and walked out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, we really appreciate all your comments! It's the only thing that really keeps us motivated to write so keep 'em coming!
> 
> Any guesses on Jeonghan and Seokmin's history?


	4. No, wait, Joshua wasn’t petty like that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A lot can change in a month.” It was a loaded statement but Seungcheol didn’t seem to notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy...

The days leading up to the trip were filled with nothing but awkwardness with Joshua refusing to speak to either of them outside of work. Seungcheol’s office was filled with silence and it was deafening, the CEO absolutely hated it. Furthermore, the PA wouldn’t even look at them. The only time they had made eye contact was when Jeonghan thought it would be a good idea to grab the CEO’s ass when he thought no one was looking. He had thought wrong, he looked up with a smirk on his face only to see his best friend looking at him, eyebrows furrowed and mouth set in a deep frown. His smirked had immediately dropped and hand retracted as if the CEO was made of fire as the guilt seeped into him. Try as he may, Joshua didn’t answer any of Jeonghan’s texts or calls and had even gone as far as to change the passcode to his apartment.

Today, Joshua would be going to America with Seungcheol for over a month. They wouldn’t be alone, Jihoon and Soonyoung would be with them, but they were rooming together for the duration of the trip. Joshua knew that he’d eventually crack after spending so much time with the CEO because it wasn’t his fault, it wasn’t anyone’s fault but Jeonghan’s. How did Joshua feel, you may be wondering. It was a mix of emotions—anger, sadness, disbelief and most of all, the pain of betrayal. Some may say Joshua was being childish to hold a grudge over something like this but look at it from his point of view. Jeonghan was his best friend, the one person he knew he could always count on and the person he trusted the most, who knew that Joshua had feelings for Seungcheol and had even said he’d back off but weeks later, the PA walked in on his best friend making out with the one person he promised to stay away from. Wasn’t that absolutely heartbreaking? It wasn’t the fact that he was in love with Seungcheol that hurt, it was the fact that the person he trusted went behind his back that hurt him the most.

Joshua didn’t know what to think anymore. On one hand, he missed his best friend but on the other, he was still hurt by the other’s actions. What was Yoon Jeonghan playing at? Joshua knew Jeonghan loved the all the good things life had to offer, the creme da la creme of everything, but would his best friend betray him to date someone just to get all of that? He sincerely doubted it but whatever Jeonghan’s reasons were, he wasn’t ready to listen to them just yet.

With over thirteen hours of flight time, Joshua made sure to choose the seat as far away from Seungcheol as possible on the private plane and the other man didn’t complain. The PA was glad the plane had wifi so he could work instead of talk to the CEO. And of course, Seungcheol was way too afraid to approach him first. The other two on the flight, Jihoon and Soonyoung, found it odd as they were used to seeing the PA and CEO chatting away like old friends. Being smart, however, they chose not to comment on the obvious iciness that Joshua was radiating.

“We’ll be landing in 15 minutes,” the captain announced through the speakers on the plane, voice crackly.

Joshua took a look at the schedule on his laptop. “Mr Rick is picking us up from the airport then we’re heading to our apartments and settling in,” he informed the others in the plane, tone even. “Tomorrow, we’re heading over to the office for a meeting and then to the store location for a look.”

The three other men hummed in acknowledgement. The seatbelt sign lit up with a _ding_ and the men fastened their seatbelts in anticipation of the descent. The plane ride had been mostly filled with snores and the clicking of the keyboard, all of them choosing not to speak. Seungcheol had squirmed uncomfortably in his seat for most of the ride from the thick tension in the air until he eventually dozed off with the thought of Jeonghan’s smile on his mind.

Seungcheol actually tried begging Jihoon or Soonyoung to switch apartments with him when Joshua was speaking to Mr Rick about their schedule. It wouldn’t have made much of a difference since they’d still be next door but Jihoon had firmly refused and told the CEO that it would be a good chance to make amends with Joshua. Shoulders slumped in defeat, he trailed after Joshua who led the way to the apartment they’d be sharing for a month.

“You can choose which room you want, I’ll take the other,” Joshua declared as they stepped in.

It was a simple but well-furnished apartment that Seungcheol, after getting acquainted with Jeonghan’s expensive taste in the last few weeks, thought the secretary might like. Their sock-clad feet padded on the cold marble flooring as they walked around the place, familiarising themselves with it. The kitchen counter was also made of marble which reminded him of the one in Jeonghan’s home. Without thinking, Seungcheol pushed open the door closest to him and decided this room would be his. Quickly putting his bags down, he jumped onto the bed and it sunk under his weight. This was just what he needed after a thirteen-hour flight, a good bed and also, Seungcheol decided, a hot shower. Thankfully, both men had a bathroom of their own, Seungcheol’s was attached to his room alone and Joshua’s was an en-suite that could be accessed from the living room.

“Josh, I’m gonna take a shower!” Seungcheol called out from his room.

“I don’t need to know that,” Joshua responded dryly.

Letting out a sigh, the CEO shut the door and started taking off his clothes starting from his socks. He was getting fed up with Joshua’s attitude. Sure, hiding his relationship had been wrong but he didn’t think Joshua of all people would hold grudges over something like that. Shouldn’t Joshua be talking to them and telling them he’s happy for them by now? Seungcheol certainly thought so. Jeonghan had told him to give him to give the PA some time to cool off and trusting his boyfriend who knew Joshua best, he had. But Seungcheol hated sitting all day in a quiet office with only the sound of clicking on keyboards and the occasional phone call. Lunches were even worse, Jeonghan stopped joining them and where there used to be light conversation accompanying their meals, all that followed now was silence as Joshua focused on eating his meal and then using his phone as he waited for Seungcheol to finish his. And he knew that the other man was only sharing meals with him out of obligation because it was his job to stick with the CEO but it used to be because they were friends and enjoyed each other’s company.

“What am I gonna do,” he mumbled to himself as he stepped into the shower and turned it on, letting the hot water cascade down his body.

Towel around his waist and another one in his hand that he was using to dry his hair, he walked out of the bathroom and located his phone. After making sure it was a reasonable time back home in Korea, he scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for and clicked the button to Facetime. He didn’t need to wait long till Jeonghan picked up, hair a little tousled and dressed in one of Seungcheol’s shirts that was a little too large on his smaller frame.

“Cheolie~” Jeonghan singsonged with a grin on his face. “How was your flight? I miss you already!” He moved around a bit to get comfortable causing the camera to shift from his face.

Seungcheol couldn’t help the grin that found its way to his face. “Hey, Hannie,” he greeted. “The flight was alright, I mostly just slept. And I miss you too.” He moved to sit on his bed with his back against the headboard. “The apartment is pretty nice, it’s something you would like.”

“Oh, be sure to send me pictures!” The secretary’s eyes were lit up and Seungcheol found it adorable. “How're things with Josh?” Jeonghan’s voice went an octave lower as he asked. “I hope he’s not giving you a hard time, Cheolie.”

“No, it’s fine.” Seungcheol waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll try to talk to him. After all, we’re gonna be stuck together for a month so I’m sure I’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk to him.”

“Yeah,” the other man said, voice suddenly sounding a little distant. “Alone with Josh for a month…”

“Hannie? Are you okay?”

The secretary perked up and plastered a smile back on his face. “Yeah, I’m fine! Just thinking about how long we have to be apart.” He sighed. “A lot can change in a month.” It was a loaded statement but Seungcheol didn’t seem to notice.

The conversation moved to a lighter topic of what Seungcheol would be doing in America. Standing outside the door, hand clenched into a fist ready to knock on the door, Joshua heard the two boyfriends chatting away without a care in the world. A dull pain that he had become used to feeling in the last few days bloomed in his chest as he immediately retracted his hand. It wasn’t that neither of them cared about him, Joshua knew, because if they didn’t then he wouldn’t be getting stared at by Seungcheol in the office and the dozens of missed calls and unanswered texts from Jeonghan. It’s just that they didn’t care enough to actually put an end to their relationship even after his best friend had explicitly promised to stay away from their boss; and yeah, Joshua admitted that he was being a little selfish but he couldn’t help the green-eyed monster in him that roared every time he caught the secretary and the CEO looking at each other, smiling with a silly lovesick look on their faces.

As Joshua laid in bed, arms and legs spread out on the comfy mattress, he thought of everything recently, starting from how angry he was to how he missed his best friend. He still couldn’t, didn’t want to believe that Jeonghan would betray him for something as silly as a relationship. He knew Jeonghan, and Jeonghan hadn’t been in a relationship for the longest time, the fear of commitment always holding him back. So what made this one so different? Seungcheol was someone he knew for only a few days before he decided to pursue and Seokmin was—That’s right, all Joshua had to do was tell Seungcheol about what happened between Jeonghan and Seokmin and they’d be sure to break up. No, wait, Joshua wasn’t petty like that, he couldn’t stoop so low as to sabotage his friends’ relationship. As much as he was angry now, he knew this ‘relationship’ wouldn’t last because he knew Yoon Jeonghan and Yoon Jeonghan always left.

The next few days were filled with work and Seungcheol’s subtle attempts at making conversation with Joshua. He tried his best to ignore it but after a couple of days, he was starting to crack. Back when they just had to see each other during work hours were durable but being with Seungcheol almost every minute of the day made it hard to ignore the man. On their only day off in America Soonyoung invited him to go sightseeing and he gratefully accepted, seeing it as an escape from Seungcheol.

“When you asked me to go sightseeing with you I assumed you’d be the one with a plan, Soonyoung,” Joshua sighed as him and Soonyoung stood on the sidewalk by the beach.

Soonyoung merely shrugged and grinned at him. “But hyung, I thought you could show me around since you’ve been here before!”

The older man shook his head in disbelief. “Soonyoung,” he said sternly. “I’ve been here twice. That was back in middle school. I don’t remember my way around.”

“Well, let’s decide what to do while we eat,” Soonyoung suggested. “I’m starving! And the smell of hotdogs is too tempting.”

Resisting the urge to let out another sigh, Joshua followed as the younger man led the way to a hotdog stand they had passed by. After getting their food and drinks, the two sat down at a bench and Joshua tried recalling some of the places he went to in LA as Soonyoung happily munched on his hotdog and exclaimed about how good it tasted. Joshua bit into his own hotdog, deep in thought, and to him, it tasted just like any regular hotdog you could get in Korea but he didn’t say anything.

“You probably don’t know this but I like Jihoon,” Soonyoung confessed after finishing the last bite of his hot dog. “I have for a while now.”

“Oh,” Joshua said and acted as if this information surprised him. Of course, he had already heard about what had happened between Soonyoung and Jihoon in the pantry from Jeonghan. “I didn’t realise,” he lied smoothly.

Picking at his napkin, Soonyoung let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah, well, Jihoon wants to keep it a secret from everyone and I’m not really sure why.” He sighed. “We’re not dating...yet. But he won’t even look at me when there are other people around us in the office.”

“Have you tried talking to him about this?” Joshua asked after finishing his own hotdog. “If he’s doing something like this, he must have a good reason.” He wiped his hands on his napkin and took a sip of his soda, savouring the feel of the cold carbonated drink rushing down his throat in this hot weather.

The other man shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not really sure how to go about it and every time I try to bring it up I just ended fighting with him,” he admitted sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck. “It’s honestly driving me nuts.”

Joshua raised an eyebrow in question. “Why are you telling me all of this, Soonyoung?”

“Well,” Soonyoung started, adjusting himself in his seat, “since you’re older, I thought you might have more experience and give me some advice, hyung.”

The PA opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly shut it. It was true that Joshua was a few years older but he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been with someone. He’d spent the last three years pining after Seungcheol after all. Nevertheless, like the good hyung that he was, he thought of some wisdom to impart on the young man. “Talk to him in private, in your home or his, not in the office,” he began. “Ask him why he’s doing this, explain how you feel about it and then listen to what he has to say.”

Soonyoung listened closely to what the older man had to say and when Joshua was done speaking, he sat in his seat and contemplated the best course of action. He realised that he never properly tried talking to Jihoon about this issue, he always brought it up in the heat of the moment after the other man had rejected one of his advances. Noticing that the younger man was deep in thought, the PA stood up and threw away their trash before getting two vanilla ice cream cones. “Here you go,” he said, breaking Soonyoung’s reverie, as he plopped back down next to the younger man and handed an ice cream can to the younger man.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Soonyoung rushed out as he took an ice cream cone from the PA. “Hyung,” he called out. “I know it’s not my place to say this but you need to...fix whatever is going on between you and Seungcheol-hyung.” He looked nervous after his statement, he felt as if he crossed the line but the older man merely hummed in response as he licked his ice cream. At Joshua’s mild response, he decided it was safe to continue speaking. “The both of you used to be so close and I don’t know what happened between you two but the both of you are super gloomy. I know it’s probably not affecting your work but you two are supposed to be good friends and you haven’t spoken to each other since before we even left Korea.”

Soonyoung felt himself begin to sweat nervously at Joshua’s lack of response. He knew it was bold of him to say something to his elder but he felt that it was necessary to speak up. “Alright,” was all Joshua said before taking a bite of his ice cream cone with a loud crunch.

Seungcheol didn’t know if this would work but he could sure as hell try. As soon as he found out that Joshua would be out the whole day, he decided it would be a good chance to surprise the PA with something. Knowing Joshua, Seungcheol knew the way to his PA’s heart was definitely through his stomach and Joshua loved homemade pizza but was too lazy to make it himself. During the hours Joshua had been out with Soonyoung, the CEO busied himself with preparing the meal starting from the dough, which he made from scratch. He had asked Mr Rick to get someone to buy all the ingredients he would need, wine included, and had them delivered to his apartment. Most of his day off was spent waiting for the dough to rise and video chatting with Jeonghan until the secretary had fallen asleep. Then, he had watched his boyfriend sleep for a few minutes, emitting soft snores and looking peaceful, to admire the beauty that was Yoon Jeonghan.

At 6 p.m. he received a text from Soonyoung informing Seungcheol that he and Joshua were on their way back. The younger man knew all about the CEO’s plan and had promised to make sure Joshua wouldn’t have dinner while they were out. He popped the pizza into the oven and brought out two cans of beer. After knowing Joshua for a few years, Seungcheol knew how he acted when he was angry and he had never wanted to be on the receiving end of the PA’s anger yet here he is. Flicking open the can of beer, Seungcheol took a large gulp while waiting for Joshua to come back, stomach filled with nervousness despite the beer.

A few minutes passed as Seungcheol was deep in thought, Jeonghan had said his plan would probably go well but he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. He just wanted things to be alright between him and Joshua again. The silence and tension between them were getting far too painful for him to bear any longer so he wanted to put an end to it, to properly speak to Joshua about it. His train of thought was broken when he heard a jingle of keys and muffled voices bidding each other goodbye. Seungcheol set the beer down quickly and checked on the pizza. The door opened and in stepped Joshua with some bags in his hand which was a little surprising because the CEO knew him to be quite a frugal person.

“Are you cooking something?” Joshua asked as he set his keys on the counter, the aroma of food filling his nostrils and noticing a glass of wine on the dining table.

“Yeah,” Seungcheol called out from the kitchen. “I made pizza. There’s beer too.” The pizza, he decided, was done so he made quick work of getting it out of the oven.

Joshua’s stomach growled at the thought of homemade pizza as he took a sip of his beer. It wasn’t his favourite but he couldn’t exactly say no to free alcohol. After a moment, Seungcheol stepped out of the kitchen, a delicious pepperoni pizza in hand and the sight of it made Joshua’s stomach growl again. The CEO merely chuckled at the sound as he set the pizza down on the table and took the seat opposite of Joshua.

“Dig in,” he said before taking a slice for himself. It wasn’t his first time making pizza but he didn’t make it often so he prayed that it tasted good enough for Joshua to be willing to speak to him. Before taking a bite, he watched as the PA took his first bite, eyes shooting open in surprise at how good it tasted.

“This is amazing, Cheol,” Joshua exclaimed before taking another bite. “Did you make this from scratch?” The fact that he was supposed to be angry at the man sitting opposite of him didn’t even register in his mind as he greedily scarfed down the slice of pizza.

“I did,” he replied, a grin on his face as he began to eat.

From there, the conversation started between bites and gulps of beer. Seungcheol asked about Joshua’s day and what he did with Soonyoung. Joshua complained about how the younger man wanted to do too many things and how he was exhausted after a full day out with the energetic Soonyoung. The CEO laughed when the PA talked about how the younger man got his burger stolen by a nasty seagull and how he kept whining about it until Joshua offered to buy him another one. It was normal. Things seemed normal between them, they joked and laughed as they ate, and Seungcheol felt relieved.

“How’s the beer?” he inquired offhandedly after they finished the entire pizza. “I remember you saying something about pizza tastes best with beer.”

“White wine,” Joshua corrected with a scowl on his face and suddenly all the tension came back. “I like white wine. Jeonghan is the one who likes beer with pizza.”

Seungcheol nearly choked on his beer at his mistake. He quickly tried to come up with a response but to no avail. Getting up, his chair scraping against the marble flooring, Joshua swiped two unopened bottles of wine from the wine cooler along with a corkscrew before entering his room and locking the door. The CEO sat at the table, face in his hands, and let out a loud groan. It had been going so well up till his careless mistake. Slumped shoulders and with a sense of defeat, Seungcheol started clearing away the dishes while trying to form another plan to get the PA to speak to him. If today’s dinner was anything to go by, Joshua was definitely not as angry as he initially let on.

Hot tears pricked Joshua’s eyes as he took a long swig from the bottle of wine he’d just opened. It had been going good, it felt great to speak to Seungcheol again. He had missed talking to the CEO, he had missed being his friend. But then Seungcheol’s words brought Joshua back to reality, to the harsh reality where he was stuck with his one-sided love towards his boss who was currently dating his best friend and had hidden it from him. Fueled by anger, he curled his hand into a fist and punched the pillow closest to him but it did nothing to help his rage as it absorbed his punch. He drank and drank and drank until suddenly, he was tasting the last drop of the second bottle and things were starting to get fuzzy.

Loud knocks on Seungcheol’s door startled him as he sat on his bed with his laptop in his lap and replied to emails. Knowing who was on the other side of the door, a small feeling of hope bloomed in him. Was Joshua finally willing to talk to him? He tossed his laptop onto the bed and hopped off before rushing over to open the door. Joshua’s cheeks were red and his eyes were only half open. It was, Seungcheol guessed, the results of finishing two bottles of wine on his own. “How can I help you, Josh?”

“You can help—” hiccup “—by stop being s-so good looking!” Joshua exclaimed, words slurring in his drunken state. “Y-you have such nice—” hiccup “—l-lashes! And n-nice lips!”

The CEO merely sighed, the hope in him ebbed. “Come on Josh,” he said softly. “Let’s get you back to your room—mmph!”

Joshua lips pressed against his own and he didn’t know what to do. He was shocked beyond belief by his PA’s actions but he quickly recomposed himself and pushed Joshua away with both hands. He was surprised to see tears streaming down the other man’s face. “Josh, what’s wrong?” He asked tenderly, concern in his voice.

“Why?” Joshua choked out. “Why won’t you kiss me back?” He didn’t bother wiping the hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I...I’m with Jeonghan, Josh. You know that,” replied the CEO. “I can’t just go around kissing people.”

“Do you love him?” The PA’s voice cracked at the end of his question.

“Yes, I do. Very much,” Seungcheol replied without an ounce of hesitation.

“You love him,” Joshua repeated and something about the tone of his voice made Seungcheol suddenly feel guilty about loving Jeonghan, his voice was full of confusion yet soft with defeat. “It’s not fair!” He suddenly exclaimed loudly which made Seungcheol jolt in surprise. “I was there first! I’m the one who’s been in love with you for three fucking years and he gets to have you! It’s not fucking fair!” He sobbed, tears salty on his lips. “You...you don’t even know what he’s really like, Seungcheol!”

As much as the CEO wanted to get the other man to calm down, Joshua’s words had sparked surprise and curiosity in him. “What do you mean?” He found himself asking before he could stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth.

Joshua scoffed, eyes and nose red from the crying. “You know how he mentioned Seokmin the other day?” He asked and Seungcheol vaguely recalled Jeonghan acting a little weird when he mentioned the PR director during lunch on his first day. “Yeah, well, they used to date in uni.” He wiped his snot on his sleeve. “They were together for a few months but Jeonghan got sick of Seokmin and left. He didn’t even say anything and he knew how in love Seokmin was with him but he just blocked his number and never spoke to him again.”

He looked Seungcheol in the eye. “Once he gets sick of you, Choi Seungcheol, no matter how in love you might be with him, he’s going to leave because he can be a fucking heartless bitch. While you’re here trying to play nice with me, he’s probably back home fooling around with Seokmin or whoever he managed to pick up.” He suddenly felt bile rising in his throat and he’d gotten drunk enough times to know that he’s about to throw up so he immediately rushed over to his bathroom to do so.

Seungcheol stood there for a good half an hour, the sound of Joshua throwing up in his bathroom filling the air but he paid it no mind. He was shocked to say the least; firstly, from Joshua’s confession and then about Seokmin and Jeonghan. The CEO really didn’t want to doubt Jeonghan but the words from the person who knew the secretary best held some weight too. Conflicted still, he eventually shut the door and laid on his bed with his mind racing. Sleep eventually came over him but only nightmares came with it.

The next day, Joshua was already up and had prepared breakfast when Seungcheol walked out of his room after a shower. They sat and ate in silence but Seungcheol had so much he wanted to say. He wondered if Joshua remembered what he had said last night and if he did, were his words lies that were fueled by his drunken rage?

“I remember everything,” answered Joshua as if he could read thoughts. He let out a sigh and set his fork down to focus on the CEO. “I’m sorry for being so...inappropriate but I want you to know that everything I said was true.” He paused then added, “Except for what happened between Seokmin and Jeonghan.” Seungcheol felt some hope but it was crushed by the PA’s next words. “They did date back in uni but Jeonghan didn’t leave because he was sick of Seokmin. He left because he was afraid,” he explained. “He was scared of commitment and as soon as he realised how hard he was falling for Seokmin, he ran away. I’m just looking out for you by warning you that as far as I know, he’s still afraid. He prefers jumping from one guy to the next so if I were you, I shouldn’t be surprised if he was fucking around with his ex when I was halfway across the globe.”

Seungcheol frowned. “Is that really how you should be talking about your best friend? Someone you’ve known your whole life.” The other man just shot him a noncommittal shrug and went back to eating his food. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice your...feelings sooner.” Joshua stiffened. “It was really insensitive of me and I’m sorry.”

Another shrug. “It’s not like I made it obvious, and even if I did someone oblivious like you would never have noticed until I kissed you smack dabbed on the lips, Cheol,” Joshua joked even though it was exactly what happened last night.

The CEO shot him a playful glare and from there, the conversation went back to the usual banter between them. During the next few weeks, things got better between them and they were back to normal. If either Jihoon or Soonyoung noticed the change, they didn’t show. Seungcheol had, excitedly, informed his boyfriend of this new development and Jeonghan had been happy for him but also upset that his best friend still wouldn’t speak to him. Through all this, Jeonghan doesn’t admit that he already knew about the PA’s feelings. Instead, he got jealous.

“I just don’t feel comfortable with you guys being alone together for so long,” Jeonghan whined. “Especially when he’s in love with you!”

“It’s nothing like that between me and Josh,” the CEO brushed off. “We’re just good friends.” Seungcheol really didn’t understand why Jeonghan was making such a fuss over this.

“That’s what they all say,” Jeonghan grumbled to himself.

Throwing his phone onto his bed, Jeonghan shouted in frustration. Why wouldn’t Seungcheol take him seriously when he said he didn’t like Josh being so near him? Why does Seungcheol just keep brushing his worries off as if they were nothing? Didn’t Seungcheol love him? Didn’t Seungcheol care? He didn’t know the answers to his questions but what he did know was that he needed a stiff drink. Normally, he’d be drinking with Joshua but since that wasn’t happening he utilised the one number in his phone that he thought he’d never touch again.

“I was surprised when you called, hyung,” Seokmin said as Jeonghan stepped into his apartment. It was cosy and Jeonghan had to admit that it seemed like the younger man had done well for himself in the last few years. “I thought you deleted my number years ago,” he laughs albeit a little stiffly.

Jeonghan hummed and plopped himself on the couch. “Where’s the booze?” He wasn’t here to chit chat, he was in desperate need of a drink and didn’t want to be alone. It helped that Seokmin was great as mixing drinks having worked as a bartender back in university. “Bottoms up,” Jeonghan cheered before taking his first shot of the night.

Drink after drink, things started getting hazy but he kept going and Seokmin didn’t know how to stop him as he turned into a sobbing mess complaining about how Seungcheol didn’t care about him. As much as Seokmin hated to admit it, he still had feelings for the older man and hearing him complain about another man was filling him with jealousy. He had naively thought that seeing Jeonghan again was fate and it meant he would have another chance but yet the man he was in love with was drunk in his apartment crying over their boss.

“Hyung….”

“You care about me don’t you, Seokmin?” Jeonghan sobbed.

“Of course I do, hyung. I love you,” Seokmin blurted out and his eyes widened at his own words.

Suddenly, Jeonghan stopped crying. He looked at the younger man and suddenly they were back in his old dorm. Seokmin looked older but was still as good looking as he remembered, he still smelled of the same strawberry body soap he claimed he couldn’t live without. Jeonghan started leaning in, closer and closer until the flesh of his own lips met Seokmin’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rubs hands together evilly* So how was it? Thoughts on what's to come?


	5. Can I get a Sex On The Beach?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You don’t have to love me, I just want to be with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set back when Seokmin and Jeonghan were in uni.

Lee Seokmin, fresh out of high school and only a couple of months into his university life. He was young, impressionable and most definitely naive. Yoon Jeonghan was already in his final year of university when they met. He was older, experienced and most definitely in control of his life. Being in the same class, they had gotten to know each other’s names and faces but didn’t talk until they paired up for a project. Jeonghan was the one to asked Seokmin to be his partner and the younger man didn’t know how to refuse his sunbae so he said yes. The older man worked well with pretty much anyone he paired with so this would be no exception, his reason for wanting to pair up with Seokmin was simply because the younger man was too cute to resist.

“When are you free, Seokmin?” Jeonghan asked as the two of them exited the lecture hall. “Send me your schedule and we’ll work something out.”

“Uh, okay but I don’t have your number,” Seokmin informed, looking nervous around his elder.

The older man chuckled, he thought it was adorable how nervous the freshman was around him. “Give me your phone and I’ll put it in.” He held out his hand expectantly and Seokmin quickly passed him his phone. Jeonghan quickly typed in his number and saved it under ‘Angel’.

“I’ll send it to you now.” Seokmin proceeded to send his schedule as instructed and Jeonghan’s phone chimed signalling that he received the message.

Jeonghan hummed softly as he looked through the younger man’s schedule to figure a good timing for the both of them. “How about Wednesday at 3?” He suggested looking up from his phone at the freshman. “Your class ends at 2 and mine ends at 2:30 so just meet me at the cafe near the East Wing.”

Seokmin nodded. “Sure.”

In knowing he’d probably wouldn’t have enough time to change after class, Jeonghan picked out a cute outfit and wore it to class. He tried to look as presentable as possible even though he was running on three hours of sleep and his weight in caffeine and sugar. _The perks of being a final year student_ , he thought bitterly. The class was boring as always, his lecturer just droned on and on without caring if anyone was even listening. Stepping out of the lecture hall, his stomach began to growl and he realised he hadn’t eaten anything but a banana since breakfast. Thankfully, it was the last class of the day and the cafe he would be meeting Seokmin at served affordable but delicious food.

His class ended a little later than expected but since it was in the East Wing, he still had time to get to the cafe. He walked leisurely and hummed a tune while ignoring the looks he received from both men and women alike. Jeonghan knew he was popular amongst both sexes, he stood out a lot with his good looks and academic achievements, not to mention that he was pretty outgoing and sociable. Although he knew many people he wouldn’t consider them his friends, they didn’t really know anything about him. The only person who’s seen him cry and eat like a pig was Joshua and Jeonghan was certain that he would be the only person he’d stay in contact with after university, they’ve been together since they were kids after all.

The door of the cafe chimed signalling someone had either just entered or exited. Seokmin’s head shot up and he saw Jeonghan walking in, blonde hair cascading just a little past his shoulders and tucked behind his ears to keep it away from his face. The light of the sun made him look like he was glowing. Ethereal—that was the word Seokmin would use to describe Yoon Jeonghan. His breath hitched in his throat, the older man really did look like an angel, and Seokmin didn’t feel worthy to be in his presence. Jeonghan’s head turned in search of the younger man and he smiled when he spotted Seokmin sitting by the window, laptop already open and papers scattered around the table.

“Ah, Seokmin,” Jeonghan called out as he walked over. “Sorry, I’m late. My class ended a little later than usual.”

The younger man checked his phone to see it was only 2:50. “You’re not late, hyung,” he said. “I’m just early. I came after my class ended.”

“Sorry for making you wait then,” the older man replied with a toothy grin. “Well then,” he started, taking the seat opposite of the nervous looking freshman, “let’s get started, shall we?”

After Jeonghan ordered a drink, the two of them spent the next hour working on their project. It helped that the both of them have already read through the project brief and done their own research so they managed to get almost half of it done in the span of an hour. Having been too focused, Jeonghan had completely forgotten about his hunger until his stomach growled loudly in reminder. He flushed and apologised before skimming through the menu and quickly placing an order for a pasta.

“Have you eaten anything today, hyung?” Seokmin asked, concern in his voice. “You must be pretty hungry for your stomach to growl that loudly.”

Jeonghan let out a chuckle. “I only ate a banana this morning and I had lots of coffee and candy throughout the day.” At Seokmin’s look of surprise, he shrugged. “That’s the life of a final year student. Too much to do and not enough time.”

Seokmin bit his lip seemingly deep in thought. “Oh God, that sounds...stressful.”

“Yeah,” Jeonghan laughed. “I need food and a stiff drink.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his food.

The freshman perked up at that. “Hyung, I, uh, actually work at a bar near campus,” he told the older man. “I work on Thursdays, Fridays and on the weekends. If you drop by when I’m working, I’ll give you a free drink and a good discount.” He grinned cheekily.

The older man smirked. “I might have to take you up on that offer.”

Jeonghan sat up straight and maintained his posture while he was eating. The pasta, as normal as may taste to everyone else, tasted heavenly to him who hadn’t had a proper meal in the last 24 hours. The two of them made small talk and they learned of each other’s majors, if they were in any clubs and Jeonghan shared with Seokmin some tips and tricks on how to survive his next four years of university.

“Ah, I’ve got to go,” Seokmin announced after checking the time. “Don’t wanna be late for work.” He stood up and bowed. “Please let me know when you’d like to meet up again to finish our project.”

“Sure thing.” Jeonghan smiled and gave the younger man a small wave as he rushed out of the cafe.

Figuring that he’d have nothing to do later tonight and it since it was a Friday, he decided to ask Joshua to join for a drink at the bar Seokmin worked at.

“Can’t tonight, Han.” Joshua kept typing away on his keyboard. “This report is due at midnight.”

That was all the explanation Jeonghan needed. After wishing his friend good luck, he took a shower and changed before heading out. There was a slight breeze in the air as he walked to the bar and it was refreshing. The bar was lively, Jeonghan could hear the sound of rowdy cheers and music as he neared it. He hasn’t been to this bar before, walked past it a couple of times, but never thought to step in. His usual bar was a little further away from campus but the owner was a family friend so he got free drinks and a good discount there.

Stepping in, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes hit him but he didn’t mind it. The place wasn’t as crowded as his usual bar was but it was just as loud. He easily spotted Seokmin who was moving around the bar with familiarity and ease, a nice smile on his face. A smile of his own found it’s way to Jeonghan’s face as he approached the bar. “Hey handsome,” he called out to Seokmin who looked a little shock to see the older man there. “Can I get a Sex On The Beach?”

“You can get one with me, baby!” A voice called out from the end of the bar which made Jeonghan’s face scrunch up in a look of disgust but he didn’t respond.

“Hyung!” The young bartender exclaimed in surprise. “I-I’ll make you one right now,” he rushed out before starting on Jeonghan’s drink. He placed it in front of the blonde man and smiled. “Enjoy.”

Jeonghan took a sip and his eyes widened. “Wow, this tastes great!” He exclaimed which made Seokmin blush.

“Of course it does.” An older man suddenly appeared next to Seokmin and gave the younger man a pat on the shoulder. “He’s one of the best guys we have here.”

“Uh, this is the owner, Sungmin-hyung,” Seokmin introduced to Jeonghan. Then to Sungmin, he gestured to Jeonghan and said, “This is my sunbae from uni, Jeonghan-hyung. He’s a final year student.”

“Ah, a final year student,” Sungmin repeated in a strange tone. “Since it’s your first time here, drinks are on the house tonight.”

Jeonghan’s eyes widened at the man’s generous offer. “Oh, no...I can’t possibly—”

“Nonsense,” Sungmin cut off with a wave of his hand. “I know how tough it is to be a final year student. In fact, I barely survived my own.” He let out a laugh. “You need a couple of drinks to help loosen up.” Reaching over the bar, he gave Jeonghan a hard pat on the shoulder before walking off to serve another customer.

“He’s nice,” Jeonghan commented.

The older man took full advantage of the free drinks offer he had gotten from Sungmin, as a student he knew that anything given free should be well utilised. He would order another drink before finishing the one at hand. Various men came up to Jeonghan and offered to buy him a drink in exchange for his company but he refused all of them. His attention was solely focused on the young bartender. Seokmin didn’t know why but he felt a sense of joy bloom in him every time the blonde rejected another sleazy looking businessman in favour of him.

“Seokminnie, I’m getting sleepy,” Jeonghan whined, words slurring a little.

Seokmin checked the time and noticed that his shift ended in half an hour but the place wasn’t too crowded so Sungmin allowed him to leave early. He walked out from behind the bar to help Jeonghan get up from his seat and the older man swayed on his feet, clearly the result of having too much to drink. He was a mumbling mess and Seokmin couldn’t find out what Jeonghan’s address was so he took him back to his place instead.

“Hmm, did Josh manage to turn in his report on time?” Jeonghan wondered out loud as they entered the younger man’s apartment.

Helping Jeonghan sit on the couch, Seokmin headed to his kitchen to get a glass of water for the older man. He was mumbling and giggling to himself when the younger man returned and made him drink the water all the way down to the last drop. “You’re so handsome you know,” Jeonghan suddenly said as he stared at the younger man. “I’ve been checking you out since our first class together.”

Seokmin blushed at the older man’s words. “Well, you’re also very good looking, hyung,” he gingerly admitted. “I didn’t think someone like you would even notice me so I was shocked when you asked me to be your partner.”

Jeonghan took the freshman’s blushing face in his hand and smiled. “Aw,” he cooed, “you’re so adorable, Seokminnie.”

At the cute nickname, Seokmin blushed even harder. “T-thanks, hyung.”

Before his mind could register what was happening, he felt a pair of soft lips press against his own. He was shocked but didn’t pull away, instead he started moving his own lips in sync with Jeonghan’s. He opened his mouth a little and Jeonghan’s tongue immediately darted in causing Seokmin to let out a little moan of delight. The blonde man tasted of the various liquor he had consumed throughout the night but Seokmin didn’t mind. The kiss was hungry and passionate with no signs of the older man slowing down. They started moving, from the couch to Jeonghan pressed up against the wall, and Seokmin suddenly found himself pinned to his own bed shirtless while Jeonghan hovered above him, eyes clouded with lust and need.

“Hyung, you’re drunk,” Seokmin recalled, slightly breathless. “We—I shouldn’t be doing this.”

The other man merely chuckled. “I’m not that drunk, I was just pretending so you’d take me home.” He leaned down and took the younger man’s ear in his mouth, nibbling on it.

“You’re a...very good actor,” breathed out Seokmin before letting out a small moan.

“Less talking and more stripping,” Jeonghan commanded before he removed his own shirt and leaned back down to capture Seokmin’s lips for another deep kiss.

Lee Seokmin woke up with one thought on his mind: Yoon Jeonghan looked beautiful when he came undone under him; his blonde hair had been spread all around him on Seokmin’s bed sheets, his face flushed red and wanton moans that drove the younger man crazy. Yoon Jeonghan woke up with one thought on his mind: he had to stop drinking so much. His head was pounding but he hadn’t been blackout drunk, he still remembered what happened last night and he had to admit that Lee Seokmin, for someone seemingly so inexperienced, was good in bed.

Turning his head to the side, he noticed a glass of water along with some Advil on the nightstand and he smiled. After gratefully swallowing the pills down with the help of the water, he got off the bed to put on his boxers and Seokmin’s shirt that was discarded on the floor. The smell of food being cooked filled his nostrils and he let his nose guide him till he was standing in the kitchen. Seokmin had his back to the older man and was preparing some food for the two of them. Jeonghan cheekily snuck over and wrapped his around the younger which made him jolt in surprise and let out a small yelp.

“Hyung, don’t scare me like that!” The younger man complained while he continued to cook.

Jeonghan laughed and began peppering kisses on every inch of skin his lips could find. “Sorry,” he said in between kisses but he didn’t sound the least bit apologetic.

Breakfast was filled with conversation and laughter. Seokmin was hilarious and Jeonghan couldn’t remember the last time someone made him laugh this hard. And when Seokmin smiled, he felt the butterflies in his stomach flapping their wings to shake off the dust because it had been so long since he last felt this way. Jeonghan didn’t know where this would go but he was happy to be in the company of the younger man.

Months passed and Jeonghan started spending nearly every night at Seokmin’s place to the point where Joshua wouldn’t even bothered texting to ask about his whereabouts. Joshua hadn’t met Seokmin, he just knew about the guy because of how much Jeonghan gushed about him, and he was glad to see his friend so happy. It had come to the point where Seokmin became a daily part of Jeonghan’s life and they didn’t go a day without seeing each other. What did Jeonghan like so much about the younger man? Well, besides the amazing sex, he made him laugh so hard he had to clutch his stomach and he made Jeonghan feel safe by whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Seokmin, surprisingly because he was so energetic all the time, was what Jeonghan needed to calm down.

“I love you, Jeonghan-hyung,” Seokmin breathed out as they pulled away from a heavy makeout session on his couch.

Jeonghan blinked. “You...love me?” He repeated incredulously to which the younger man nodded. “But Seokmin,” he chuckled, “we’re not even together.”

Seokmin went wide-eyed. “B-but we’ve been dating for months.” He moved away to look at Jeonghan’s face clearly. “How can you say we’re not together?”

The older man bit his lip and looked away. “We never said we would be exclusive,” he explained. “I’m not your...boyfriend so you can’t possibly love me.”

“What are you even saying?” Seokmin demanded, face twisted with confusion. “A-are you saying you don’t feel the same way because that’s fine with me, hyung. You don’t have to love me, I just want to be with you.”

Jeonghan got up and without a word, he made his way to the door. “Hyung!” He heard Seokmin cry out but he kept walking until he was out of the apartment complex then he started to run. He ran until he reached his own apartment then he broke down.

Love wasn’t something that had ever crossed his mind when he thought of Seokmin but now, he was starting to think that love just might be what he was feeling towards the younger man. His phone started blowing up with calls and messages but he turned it off, knowing that it would be Seokmin trying to reach him. He put his head in his hands and he felt tears pricking at his eyes. Oh God, what was he going to do? He would be graduating in a few months but Seokmin had just started his university life. Jeonghan would be living in Seoul with a job and start climbing the social ladder. What would become of him and Seokmin? He didn’t know and that scared him.

All his life, he was certain of what he would do. He was always a few steps ahead of everything. He knew where he would live after graduating and had already a job lined up. He knew where his life would be heading in the next few years. But Lee Seokmin, he didn’t know what Lee Seokmin would be to him in a few years and he couldn’t stand to have that factor of uncertainty in his life, even though he was so fond of the younger. Jeonghan was ready to date to marry but Seokmin was just so young, still in his first year of university and finding his way in the journey of life. There was no way the older man could stay with him. It pained Jeonghan to know that the younger man had fallen for him when he himself had no intention on making this a long-term relationship. Heck, they didn’t even officially ask each other out. He’d enjoyed Seokmin’s company and how he felt so at ease with him but in a few years from now, he knew where he wanted to be and Lee Seokmin had never been a part of his plan.

Joshua told Jeonghan that his actions were terrible and it would definitely crush Seokmin but Jeonghan pretended not to care. He stopped frequenting to the bar the younger man worked at and he didn’t bother collecting the things he had left at Seokmin’s apartment either. He pretended that blocking the younger man’s number and moving seats to sit halfway across the lecture hall from him didn’t hurt him too. He pretended not to hear when Seokmin would call out to him after class, desperate to get the older man to speak to him. With only a few months left till graduation, Yoon Jeonghan pretended that he didn’t love Lee Seokmin too.

And as years went by, Lee Seokmin became a part of Jeonghan’s past that he regretted the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter may take awhile cause its gonna be a long one! Prepare yourselves!!


	6. Get off your high horse, Hong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I just...I want to know why,” Seokmin said, his words dripping with desperation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long but here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for...
> 
> Enjoy!

Wait, were Seokmin’s lips always this rough? Were lips even supposed to feel this calloused?

“Hyung,” Seokmin breathed out, voice sounding strained. Wait, how was Seokmin able to talk? “Don’t do something you’ll regret, hyung.”

Opening his eyes, Jeonghan found that the flesh against his lips was not Seokmin’s lips but rather the younger man’s hand. “Huh?” He was confused. “Why won’t you kiss me, Seokminnie?” He whined and tried not to notice how Seokmin flinched at the old nickname.

The younger man sighed. “I’m not going to be your rebound,” he declared, voice firm. “I’m not going to let you use me, Jeonghan-hyung.” He looked the older man in the eye. “If you like Seungcheol-hyung so much, why are you here with me? Why did you come to me? For an easy fuck to get back at him for supposedly not caring about your feelings?” He scoffed. “In my opinion, you’re the one that’s being ridiculous.”

Jeonghan blinked, body leaning away from the younger man now. “W-what?”

“Hyung, it sounds like you don’t trust Seungcheol-hyung,” Seokmin deadpanned. “If you did, you wouldn’t be worrying about him and Joshua-hyung spending so much time together.”

“I… don’t trust him?” Jeonghan repeated, processing the words as he stared at the half-empty glass in his hand. “I’m… I’m just scared,” he confessed after a beat. “J-Josh is better than me, he always has been. I’m the one that everyone comes to for a quick fuck but Josh is the one they would stay for.” He didn’t realise that tears had started streaming down his face. “What if Cheol realises that I’m not good enough for him? What will I do then? What will I do when I’m so fucking in love with him?” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.

In love? Was he really in love with Seungcheol? Sure, he knew his feelings for the other man were strong but he didn’t know if he would go as far as to call it ‘love’. Sure, he felt his heartbeat speed up when he saw Seungcheol but that was just because he felt strongly for the other man, right? It couldn’t possibly love. But then again, the last time Jeonghan had experienced feelings this strong was when he was with the man sitting in front of him right now who was wearing an unreadable expression on his face. The feelings he had for Seokmin, Jeonghan realised, were nothing compared to what he felt for Seungcheol.

The younger man chuckled darkly, drawing Jeonghan out of his reverie. “That’s what you did.” His fists were clenched and eyes shut as if he were in pain. “That’s _exactly_ what you did to me, hyung.”

Only then did Jeonghan see that Seokmin’s eyelashes were damp and the tears pooled at the corner of his eyes. “Seokmin,” Jeonghan breathed out, at a loss for words.

“You have no idea what it felt like, hyung. The pain and the confusion I went through. You did the exact same thing you’re afraid of to me. I told you I loved you and you just tossed me aside.” The younger man let out a humourless laugh and Jeonghan stared at him. “Why?” Seokmin’s voice cracked. He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the secretary, a couple of tears escaping and rolling down his flushed cheeks. “Why did you leave without a word?”

“Seokmin-ah,” Jeonghan called out tenderly and reached out to place a hand on the younger man’s shoulder but he flinched away from the older man’s touch. “I-I’m sorry for what I did. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of but what I did to you is something I regret the most. You told me you loved me and I just left without a word.” He bit his lip. “I know me apologising won’t mean anything but I really do regret what I did to you. I’m sorry, Seokmin.”

“I just...I want to know why,” Seokmin said, his words dripping with desperation.

The secretary turned away from the younger man’s gaze. “I was scared,” he confessed, voice barely above a whisper. “I already had my life planned out but you were never part of that plan so I was scared of what would become of us in the future. I couldn’t handle the anxiety that came with the uncertainty so I left.” He gingerly took a sip of his previously cold drink and tried not to squirm at Seokmin’s silence. “I was a coward,” he admitted bitterly

A pregnant pause followed. Finally, Seokmin sighed. “Okay, I forgive you,” he simply said, all traces of strain gone from his voice. “Thank you for telling me the reason and apologising to me, hyung.” He offered Jeonghan a small smile before he got up and started clearing away the bottles of liquor.

Jeonghan remained seated, frozen with shock. Was that it? Was the younger man really not gonna yell at him and tell him how he was human trash? Jeonghan deserved to be yelled and cursed at, what he did was absolutely unforgivable. At the secretary’s silence, Seokmin paused his movements and turned around to face the older man. “I don’t hate you, hyung,” he clarified. “You’re probably wondering why I’m not screaming at you but it’s just that I’ve been so hung up over you all these years because I’ve been wondering why you left. Now that I have an answer, I can finally get over you.” He shot Jeonghan another smile before he started to clean again.

As much as Jeonghan felt he didn’t deserve the younger man’s forgiveness, he sure wasn’t complaining because he didn’t want to get yelled at anyway. After a moment, he snapped back to his senses and started helping the younger man clean up which wasn’t the best idea in his drunken state. He couldn’t stand up straight and was knocking things over, causing more problems for Seokmin rather than helping. He let out a soft apology before situating himself back on the couch and watched quietly as the other man cleaned up after him.

Seokmin wasn’t mad at Jeonghan, he hasn’t been mad at the older man for a long time. He wasn’t one to hold a grudge, he was just confused as to why Jeonghan had left all those years ago. He didn’t want to yell at the older man, he didn’t want to take revenge, nor did he want to love him anymore. He was ready, finally, to move on from this and he was ready to fall in love with someone new. He just hoped that he and Jeonghan could remain friends.

“Hyung, you can sleep on my bed and I’ll take the couch,” Seokmin announced after he was done clearing everything away. He looked over to where Jeonghan sat to find a figure peacefully dozing off. He chuckled to himself before swiftly picking up the older man who slumped against him. After placing Jeonghan on his bed, he retrieved a spare blanket and pillow for himself before making his way to the couch and tucking himself in. He let slumber come over him with a relaxed smile on his face.

Seungcheol turned to his right to face Josh. “So, what did you buy on your day off?” He asked curiously.

Joshua shrugged. “Just some stuff for—” he paused “—Jeonghan.”

The CEO wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Does that mean you’ll talk to him when we’ll get back?” He grinned at the PA.

“I don’t know,” the PA sighed. “I always get something for him when I go on business trips so I just bought some stuff on instinct when I saw something he’d like.”

“Well,” the CEO said, turning back to face the front of the plane, “I just hope the two of you make up soon.”

Stepping into his home, Seungcheol heard music coming from somewhere in the house. He decided to investigate the source of the noise which led him to the living room and to Jeonghan. Tired as he was, a grin found its way to his face as he approached the unsuspecting secretary. “Hey babe,” he whispered into Jeonghan’s ear which caused the other man to jolt in surprise.

“Cheolie!” Jeonghan exclaimed and immediately wrapped his arms around the CEO, too happy to see the man to berate him for scaring him. “I’ve missed you so much, Cheolie!” He nuzzled his nose into the crook of Seungcheol’s neck and inhaled deeply.

“I’ve missed you too, Hannie.” Seungcheol wrapped his arms around the other man and felt himself relax. “How long have you been waiting for me?”

“Just a couple of hours,” the secretary mumbled gingerly into the CEO’s neck.

Seungcheol just chuckled and shook his head, he would have done the same if he were in Jeonghan’s shoes. He took a deep breath and stepped away from the secretary to take a good look at him. Jeonghan still looked the same, hair still blonde and face still beautiful but after being away from him for so long, Seungcheol felt an ache in his heart as the other man looked at him with eyes full of adoration which, no doubt, reflected his own.

No longer being able to hold back, he placed his lips on Jeonghan’s and pulled him close. Their hands roamed each other’s bodies as Seungcheol’s lips began moving away from the other man’s and down to his jaw then neck, sucking and biting which elicited soft whimpers out of Jeonghan. Jeonghan found himself pressed up against the wall with Seungcheol’s arms trapping him and mouth assaulting every bit of skin they could find.

“Cheolie,” Jeonghan breathed out, voice dripping with desperation and need. “Cheolie, please.”

They’d been separated for more than a month but Seungcheol hadn’t forgotten how to please and fully satisfy Jeonghan, he had the empty halls filled with the secretary’s moans and screams of his name. Fully spent after a long trip back and sex, Seungcheol immediately drifted off but Jeonghan couldn’t find it in him to be upset as he watched the CEO sleeping peacefully, chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm and swollen lips slightly parted.

It was great to be back in the office again. Seungcheol had missed the atmosphere and all his employees. Everyone from his parents to his friends were congratulating him on the successful launch in America but he told them that it was all thanks to his employees’ hard work. Sales in America were doing well at the moment but it was still too early to judge because they were riding on the hype over the launch of a Korean brand in America. He had a good time in America, it gave him a chance to fix his friendship with Joshua but he had missed his boyfriend a lot. Being away for a month was harder than he thought it would be but he was glad to have finally woken up to Jeonghan’s face again this morning.

The CEO was making his way to the pantry when he crossed paths with the PR Director who greeted him with a smile and a wave. He smiled and waved back in return before heading to the pantry to make a cup of coffee. The cufflinks on Seokmin’s shirt looked similar to the ones he had gotten for Jeonghan—wait, there was no way Seokmin could have similar looking cufflinks to Jeonghan’s because they were a custom made design with Seungcheol’s initials engraved on them. Suspicion and curiosity came over him as he wondered what the younger man was doing on this floor got the better of him as the CEO rushed out of the pantry, coffee completely forgotten, and towards the direction, Seokmin had been heading.

“You left this at my place, hyung.” Seungcheol eyes widened at the younger man’s words as he saw him hand a pastel blue tie over to Jeonghan. It was the tie he had given to Jeonghan before he went to America.

“Ah, how careless of me,” the secretary replied sheepishly as he took the tie from the younger man. “Sorry about that, Seokminnie.”

Seokminnie? What was up with that nickname? Since when did those two get so cosy? Seungcheol didn’t know what was going on but he was starting to freak out.

“No problem. Come over anytime, hyung. I make the best drinks after all.” The two men laughed.

“I’ll definitely take you up on that offer,” Jeonghan said. “Please just don’t tell Seungcheol about what happened.” The secretary bit his lip, sounding a little guilty and Seungcheol’s mind was coming up with the worst scenarios.

“My lips are sealed,” the younger man promised. “Anyway, I have to get back to work so I’ll see you around, hyung.”

Seungcheol quickly hid as Seokmin rounded the corner. He was confused, he didn’t know what to think anymore. Joshua’s words rang in his head about how Jeonghan was probably playing around with someone else while they were in America. He didn’t want to believe it but what he just witnessed made him start to believe in Joshua’s words. He stood there for a long time, mind racing and full of anxiety.

“Cheolie?” Jeonghan’s soft voice broke his train of thought. “What are you doing here?”

The CEO bit his lip to stop his words from coming out. This was not the place to do it. He grabbed the secretary’s hand and dragged him to a nearby meeting room before locking the door. “Cheolie, what’s going on?” Jeonghan asked, clearly confused.

“You tell me,” Seungcheol said, voice cold. “Why were you at Seokmin’s place when I wasn’t around? And why did you ask him to keep it a secret?”

“So you heard us.” Jeonghan sighed.

“Yes I did and I’m trying to make sense of it but all I can think about is how Joshua told me you’d cheat on me while we were away!” Seungcheol suddenly burst after holding it in for so long. “I don’t want to believe it, Han. But what I saw and what I heard...Him returning the tie I gave you? That nickname? The fact that you told him to keep it from me? With the history between the two of you, what am I supposed to think, Hannie?” He stared at the secretary, helpless and lost. “Please just tell what happened.”

Jeonghan crossed his arms and pursed your lips. “Josh told you about Seokmin and I and said I’d cheat on you with him?” Seungcheol gave a hesitant nod. “I went over to Seokmin’s house the other night because I was angry at how you kept brushing off my concern about you and Josh being alone together for so long. I… I thought you didn’t care about me,” he confessed and looked at the ground. “We had a lot to drink but I promise nothing happened.” He sighed. “Seokmin talked some sense into me and I realised I was being stupid.”

“Hannie, I’m sorry I made you think that I didn’t care about you,” Seungcheol said as he pulled the secretary into his arms. “I just really didn’t see a reason for you to be worried because Josh and I are just friends.” He kissed the top of Jeonghan’s head. “I love you, Hannie.”

Jeonghan’s head shot up. “You… love me?” He repeated incredulously. “You really love me, Cheolie?”

Seungcheol chuckled. “Of course I do, Hannie. How could I not?” He smiled. “I love you, Jeonghan.”

Tears pooled around Jeonghan’s eyes. “I… I love you too, Cheolie!” He choked out. “I love you so much that I’m scared.”

“What are you scared of, babe?” The CEO cocked an eyebrow in question.

Jeonghan bit his lip and pressed his face into Seungcheol’s chest so he wouldn’t have to look at the CEO. “That you’ll realise I’m not good enough for you and you’ll leave me,” he admitted, voice quivering a little. “Please don’t leave me, Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol tilted the secretary’s head up so he could see the other man’s face. “I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to,” he declared before placing a light kiss on Jeonghan’s lips.

“So, Jeonghan hasn’t been joining us lately,” Joshua’s mother said before taking another bite out of her pasta. “How is he?”

The Hong family were having lunch at an Italian place near SVT during Joshua’s break.

He shrugged his shoulders. “He seems fine, I guess,” he replied without looking up. “ I wouldn’t know since we’re not on speaking terms at the moment.”

“Not on speaking terms?” His mother repeated incredulously, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What happened? Did you two get into a fight?”

“It’s rare to see the two of you not speaking to each other,” his father chimed in. “You two have been inseparable since you were kids.”

Joshua’s mother nodded in agreement. “The last time the two of you weren’t on speaking terms was when you got mad at him for breaking your new pencil.” She looked at her son with a face full of concern. “And the two of you were so stubborn, both refusing to apologise first. You stopped talking to each other for a whole month.”

She sighed and shook her head. “I just hope the two of you make up soon.”

Joshua didn’t respond, he kept his eyes focused on his food but his parents’ words weighed a ton on him and he suddenly felt so small under their gazes. Their words echoed in his mind as he sat in the car on the way back to the office. It’s not like he hadn’t he would let this go on forever, it’s just that Jeonghan hadn’t shown any remorse for what he did and that annoyed Joshua. He was making his way back to his office when someone calling his name made him stop in his tracks. He saw Mingyu jogging towards him.

“Hyung, you’re just the person I wanted to see,” the tall man said as he stopped in front of Joshua.

“How can I help you, Mingyu?”

“Uh, well,” Mingyu started and Joshua noticed that the man’s hands were nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, “I know you’re the one to go to when in comes to office gossip so I was wondering if you’ve heard anything about Wonwoo-hyung recently.”

Joshua cocked an eyebrow in question. “Wonwoo? Why?”

Mingyu sighed. “It’s just that he hasn’t been talking to me recently like he doesn’t answer my calls and he barely responds to my texts.” His face was wearing a hurt expression. “Whenever I show up he’s just really grumpy so I know there’s something he’s not telling me and I was just wondering if you knew anything.”

“Well,” Joshua said, crossing his arms, “I don’t know if you know this but finance reports are due next week and I heard they lost some important files due to filing errors of some sort.”

Mingyu blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah, so, he’s probably just stressed about that,” Joshua concluded. “He’ll be stressed until they hand in the reports so just be patient and make sure he eats.” He offered the taller man a small smile of encouragement.

“Yoon Jeonghan, you are an angel!” The exclaim was heard from the finance department.

The two men shot each other a look before walking over to investigate. They found a grinning Wonwoo, a couple of files in his hands, and a smirking Jeonghan. “Thank you so much, hyung!” The finance director exclaimed once again.

“What’s going on?” Joshua asked although he had a good guess.

“Jeonghan-hyung found the files we were missing!” Wonwoo informed happily. “How did you manage to find them, hyung?”

Jeonghan gave a nonchalant shrug. “They were all filed wrongly. I found them in a box I went through,” he replied. “I told you your department’s filing system sucked, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo sighed and nodded in agreement. “You’re right,” he admitted without a hint of hesitation. “Please help us sort it out once we’re done with this damn report.” He turned to his tall boyfriend who was standing next to Joshua. “Gyu, do you wanna have lunch with me?”

“Of course I do, hyung!”

Other than that incident, work was relatively normal; well, as normal as it could get with Joshua blatantly ignoring Jeonghan every day. Seungcheol didn’t really know how to go about it, he just prayed that the two would make up soon. Jeonghan had started joining them for lunch again and it was as awkward as ever because Joshua would not say a single word. The CEO felt too nervous to even call Jeonghan  ‘Hannie’ around the PA.

Honestly, Jeonghan started getting sick of the cold shoulder treatment after the first few days. He decided to corner Joshua after everyone had left and he had even informed Seungcheol of his plan. The CEO still didn’t know that Jeonghan had lied to him about the reason why he wanted to keep their relationship from Joshua, he thought that the reason the PA was giving them the cold shoulder now was because they hid their relationship from him and not because Jeonghan had betrayed him. The secretary stayed later than usual until everyone had left the office and him, Seungcheol and Joshua were the only ones remaining on their floor because he knew his friend wouldn’t leave until after the CEO did. The PA, however, was none the wiser to this plan and had no idea Jeonghan was still in the office.  
  
Seungcheol promptly excused himself to use the restroom and Joshua nodded in acknowledgement. He sighed and walked out. Pecking the secretary on the lips, he wished Jeonghan good luck and went to the pantry to give the friends some privacy. Jeonghan was feeling half annoyed and half guilty and he was more than ready to talk it out with Joshua. He walked into the office, head held high and shut the door. “Josh,” he called out.

  
The PA didn’t raise his head. “Why are you still here, Jeonghan?” His fingers were still typing away on the keys of his laptop.  
  
“I just want to talk to you, Shua.” He walked over to Joshua’s desk and roughly slammed his hands onto it, demanding the PA’s attention.

Joshua’s composure remained as he looked up at Jeonghan with a steely gaze. “I have nothing to say to you,” he declared and turned back to his work.

“How long are you gonna keep this up, Hong?” He demanded. “You need to get over it! Get off your high horse, Joshua Hong.”

“Get over it?” Joshua sneered which made the Jeonghan jolt in surprise. “You went behind my back, Yoon Jeonghan! You went and dated Seungcheol even after I told you about my feelings for him!” He stood up and glared at the other man. “You even promised to stay away from him!”

“Well, it’s not my fault you never made a move in three years,” Jeonghan scoffed. “You had all that time alone with him but you never said a thing.”

Joshua stood up abruptly causing his chair to tumble backwards. He was glaring at the secretary, his eyes full of pure anger. “Yoon Jeonghan, I know you can be a dick sometimes but I never thought you would be so heartless.” He quickly picked up his briefcase and his laptop before storming out.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Seungcheol had been eavesdropping, something he picked up from Jeonghan. He had heard everything. So the reason why Joshua was so angry at Jeonghan was because the secretary had known, all this time, about his feelings towards the CEO? Seungcheol was shocked, to say the least. Does this mean that Jeonghan had lied to him about the reason why he wanted to keep their relationship from Joshua?

The door opened and Seungcheol jumped in surprise. Joshua didn’t even spare him a glance as he made a beeline for the nearest elevator. “Joshua!” The CEO called out but the other man had ignored him as the elevator doors closed shut. With a sigh, Seungcheol stepped back into his office and pretended that he hadn’t heard a thing while trying to console Jeonghan.

He tried not to act differently around Jeonghan and waited to see if the secretary would come clean about his lie. He had never imagined such harsh words could come out from his boyfriend’s mouth but then again, he hadn’t known Jeonghan long enough to know everything about him. What Jeonghan had said to Joshua had been absolutely awful and he sympathised with the PA. Seungcheol thought the incident a lot. He wondered what he could do, on one hand, he still loved Jeonghan even though the other man had lied to him but on the other hand, he just wanted the two friends to finally make up. After a few days of Jeonghan acting as if nothing had happened, Seungcheol decided to take matters into his own hands. It was eating away at him and it prevented him from properly looking Jeonghan in the eye. So when the secretary invited him over for a drink, he thought it would be the perfect opportunity to bring it up.

“Han-ah,” he said as the two of them sipped on their glass red wine on Jeonghan’s couch. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” He wasn’t looking at Jeonghan but he, from the corner of his eyes, saw the secretary stiffen a bit at the sudden question.

Jeonghan let out a confused laugh. “What? That’s so sudden,” he said. “What's up, Cheolie?”

“What was the _real_ reason you wanted to hide our relationship from, Josh?” He asked, eyes trying to meet Jeonghan’s averted gaze. “Eavesdropping is one of the… less desirable habits I picked up from you but, you were right, it does come in handy.”

“Cheol-ah, what are you getting at?” Jeonghan said, voice slightly strained and not looking forward to what the CEO would say next.

“I heard you and Joshua the other day.” Seungcheol set his glass of wine on the table. “The real reason you wanted to hide our relationship from Joshua was cause you broke your promise with him, wasn’t it?” His tone was accusing and Jeonghan was struggling to find the words that could give him the upper hand in this situation.

After a moment of silence, Seungcheol sighed and said, “Just tell me the truth, Hannie.”

Jeonghan bit his lip nervously. “You’re right,” he replied softly.

The CEO tsked in distaste and Jeonghan felt like a guilty child being reprimanded for lying. “You know that I hate being lied to,” Seungcheol said. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I… I didn’t want Josh to find out,” the secretary mumbled, not being able to look the other man in the eye.

Seungcheol tilted his head upwards, eyes on the clean white ceiling of the apartment. “And what you said to him? I heard everything you said and it was terrible.” He couldn’t hold back his words. “How could you be so cruel to him, Jeonghan? You dated me behind his back because you knew he had feelings for me and you ask him to _get over_ it?” He shook his head in disbelief, still refusing to believe that his boyfriend was so heartless.

“I…” Jeonghan was at a loss for words as the guilt seeped into him in tenfolds. “I was just angry at how he was angry with me.”

“Why? You don’t have the right to be angry at him.”

Jeonghan shrugged. “It’s been weeks. I don’t see why he should still hold a grudge.” He swallowed his guilt and defended himself. His brain was screaming at him, asking why on earth he would say something like that when he didn’t really mean it.

“Jeonghan,” Seungcheol breathed out, “you really _can_ be a bitch.” He turned to look at Jeonghan. “I think we should break up. If the reason you and Josh are in this ridiculous fight is because of me then I’ll remove myself from this equation.” He stood up, got his jacket and without looking back said, “ I just hope the two of you make up soon.”

The secretary’s breath hitched and his words got stuck in his throat. He felt suffocated and rooted to his spot on the seat. His mind screamed at him to move, to stop Seungcheol from leaving and to say something that could make things right but all that followed his silence was the click of the door shutting at the CEO’s departure.

When Jeonghan managed to pull himself together again, he went to a nearby grocery store and picked up all the junk food he could get his hands on. Chips, ice cream, soda—you name it, Jeonghan bought it. This is what he usually did when he was stressed or depressed, buy a bunch of junk food and binge eat. He wasn’t one who easily gained weight so he really had nothing to worry about. He rushed over to the self-checkout line to quickly scan and pack everything before paying. After a five minute walk, he was finally in the safety of his own home. One tear, followed by another one, then suddenly the tears that had been pricking at his eyes flowed freely down his face as he felt an ache in his chest.

He sobbed loudly and uglily as he tore through the countless bags of chips that his cabinets were now stocked with. Honestly, he knew what he had done was wrong and maybe he did deserve to be left alone like this but it really sucked. As Jeonghan thought about all the times Joshua would binge eat with him just because he didn’t want him to be alone, he cried even harder. He was a horrible best friend and Joshua deserved to be mad at him. Jeonghan mentally cursed himself for saying what he did to both Joshua and Seungcheol. The more he ate the more he felt the guilt seeping into his bones, dyeing his heart green with regret. He ate till he couldn't stomach any more food and cried himself to sleep in the midst of empty chip bags and empty cans of soda. Jeonghan hated being alone but his current state was his own fault.

When Seungcheol went over to Jeonghan’s apartment, he hadn’t had the intention of breaking up with the secretary. All he had wanted to do was to talk it out and hear Jeonghan’s side of the story. If possible, he wanted to make Jeonghan apologise to Joshua and everything would have turned out fine. But as soon as he said those words, he knew he couldn’t take them back so he just acted as if breaking up was what he wanted to do. In reality, he knew that them breaking up wouldn’t solve anything but Seungcheol hoped that it might push Jeonghan to do something about the rift with his best friend. Being apart from Jeonghan hurt him the same way it hurt the secretary. Like a keris sword in his gut, not obvious but stabbing him in the worst ways possible. But as the CEO of SVT, he remained composed and didn’t let his feelings show.

Jeonghan wasn’t sleeping well nor was he eating well. He hadn’t had a proper meal in the last week, all he ate was whatever junk food or instant noodles he could find around his house. He’d even resorted to taking sleeping pills just so he could get some shut eye and rest a bit, but the recurring dreams of him and Seungcheol together made him even more tired no matter how much he slept. God, he hated being so pathetic but he still couldn’t bring himself to face Joshua just yet. His current state, however, did not go unnoticed by Joshua. The PA noticed how weak Jeonghan had gotten and he noticed the pale skin, the dark circles under his eyes but Joshua just bit his tongue and said nothing.  

“Cheol, what happened between you and Han?” The PA asked in a casual manner as he flipped through the file in his hand. From the corner of his eyes, Joshua saw the CEO shrug.

“We—I broke up with him,” Seungcheol mumbled, eyes still glued to the screen of his computer. “Why?”

Joshua just let out a sigh before getting out of his seat and walking to the door, he could feel the CEO’s steady gaze on his retreating figure. Swiftly, he turned the doorknob and walked out after swinging the door open. He stood right outside, still feeling the gaze of the CEO from inside the room as his eyes focused on the secretary who didn’t notice him coming out, still typing away on his keyboard. Joshua once again noticed how pale Jeonghan looked and the sweat on his forehead which was weird because the office’s air conditioning was always at full blast. The only conclusion the PA could come up with was…

A sudden cold hand on his forehead made Jeonghan jump in his seat. Looking up, he found out the owner of the hand to be none other than Joshua who let out a small sigh. “W-what are you doing?” He stuttered, struggling to remain composed in his weak state.

Joshua sighed again and retracted his hand before walking back into the room. “Jeonghan and I are taking the rest of the day off,” he informed a very confused looking Seungcheol. “He has a fever so I’m going to take him home and make him get some rest.”

At the hearing that the secretary having a fever, the CEO sat up straighter in his seat. “Is there anything I can do to help?” He quickly asked, trying and failing at hiding his concern for Jeonghan. “I can call a doctor for him.”

Making his way back to his desk to pack up, Joshua shook his head in response. “It’s alright, I know how to take care of him.” He turned off his laptop and put it in his bag before nodding in towards Seungcheol and heading out.

“Let me know if you need anything!”

Jeonghan was still sitting at his desk. “I don’t need to go home, I’m fine,” he insisted stubbornly. “You don’t have to take care of me.”

The PA walked over and, much to Jeonghan’s protest, started packing the secretary’s belongings. “Don’t be so stubborn,” he said. “You’re sick, Han.” He looked up at his friend, making eye contact with him for the first time in weeks. “At least let me take you home.”

“Fine,” the secretary begrudgingly agreed before packing the rest of his belongings. He stood up and stumbled but Joshua caught him to which he mumbled, “Thanks.”

Mr Park was never far away so it wasn’t a surprise when he got to the office building in five minutes after a call from Joshua. He helped his friend into the car as he told the driver Jeonghan’s address. The ride was silent with Joshua replying to emails on his phone and occasionally throwing a subtle glance at Jeonghan who was struggling to keep his eyes open. The PA resisted the urge to sigh again. The breakup between the secretary and the CEO must have really stressed Jeonghan out and Joshua knew what his friend did to cope with stress. He was sure that Jeonghan hadn’t had a proper meal for a while and was struggling to sleep at night which ultimately ended up with him getting sick.

“Thanks, Mr Park,” Joshua called out as he helped his friend, who was too weak to thank the driver, out of the car and over to his apartment building.

Joshua quickly keyed in the passcode before heading inside and over to the lift. He let Jeonghan lean against him the entire ride up which was an awkward position because of the other man’s taller frame. As soon as they got to the apartment, Joshua helped Jeonghan get changed and made him get in bed. He knew his way around the place so he didn’t need any help from Jeonghan. He placed a cool towel on the other man’s head before getting started on some food. Knowing that Jeonghan would probably have a hard time eating, Joshua decided to make some congee.

While he waited for it to cook, he busied himself with tidying up the secretary’s—normally clean—apartment and tried to make as little noise as possible. He felt bad for waking Jeonghan up but the secretary had to get some proper food in his system. Joshua also made the other man drink a tall glass of water before letting him go back to sleep and replaced the towel on his head with another cool one.

Since it was already Friday, Joshua figured he could stay the weekend to make sure Jeonghan was eating and sleeping well. He already had some clothes at his friend’s apartment so there was no need for him to go home. As Jeonghan slept, Joshua hopped into the shower and sighed when the hot water hit his body. He thought of a lot of things. He thought about all the times he had to take care of Jeonghan because he got sick and vice versa. He also wondered if it was finally time to properly talk to the other man, his anger had gone on long enough and he was starting to feel weighed down by it. Honestly, Joshua just missed his best friend.

“Shua,” Jeonghan croaked out as Joshua was replacing the towel on his head with another cool one, voice hoarse after hours of sleep. He drank the glass of water his friend handed him, relieving the dryness of his throat. “Why are you doing this, Josh? Why are you taking care of me?”

“Because if not me then who?” Joshua’s reply was blunt. “I’m your best friend after all. Other than your mom, I’m the one who knows how to take care of you best.” He looked over to see Jeonghan’s stunned expression.

“But… But you’re supposed to be mad at me! You’re supposed to hate me!” Jeonghan bit his lip, willing his tears away. “I deserve it after what I did to you and after everything I said...”

Joshua sighed. “No, you don’t,” he said. “I was being immature too. I let my stupid feelings for Seungcheol get in the way of our friendship and that was wrong of me. I’m sorry, Han.” His throat tightened and tears pooled at his eyes. Geez, why was he so emotional these days?

“Shua, I’m sorry too.” Jeonghan reached out to touch Joshua’s hand and was relieved when the other man didn’t flinch or retract his hand. “I shouldn’t have gone behind your back after I promised to stay away. I’m so sorry for hurting you, Shua.” He let one tear slip and didn’t bother to wipe it.

The PA gave his friend’s hand a light squeeze. “I forgive you, Han.” He smiled. “I missed you a lot,” he admitted with a chuckle.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Jeonghan grinned. “I missed you too,” he said. “I heard you bought some souvenirs from America for me.”

The other man blushed. “Y-yeah, it was just out of instinct,” he admitted, “since I always get something for you.”

Jeonghan laughed. “You know my taste very well so I’m sure I’ll love it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you will. I’ll give it to you next week.”

The next morning, Jeonghan declared that he was feeling much better and refused to be stuck in bed all day. He initiated a movie marathon and the two friends binged on whatever movie they found on Netflix, trading comments on each movie. Jeonghan wanted popcorn and kept whining about it until Joshua’s cold glare shut him up.

“I really loved him, you know,” Jeonghan confessed as they were sat next to each other on the couch watching their third movie. “I loved him so much that it kinda scared me.” His eyes were still glued to the screen but he could feel Joshua’s stare. “He told me what you said about me. About me and Seokmin and about how I’d cheat on him. Honestly, I don’t blame you. I didn’t really have a clean record anyway.” He laughed bitterly as he ran a hand through his hair, not focusing on the characters on the screen sharing their first kiss. “I didn’t know where our relationship would end up but, believe it or not—” he chuckled “—I didn’t care.”

“Han,” Joshua said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I should have talked to you about it but I didn’t. All I did was make assumptions and talk shit about you behind your back. Gosh, I’m so sorry, Han.”

“It’s fine,” Jeonghan said. “I really don’t blame you.” He took a large gulp of water. “Look at what I did to Seokmin.” He finally turned to look at his friend who was still wearing a guilty expression on his face and he pulled him in for a hug. “It’s okay, Josh.”

Joshua hugged back and sighed. “I still feel bad so let me just feel guilty for a little while.”

Jeonghan chuckled. “He made feel so special. It’s like I never had to second guess what his intentions were, you know?” He closed his eyes and Seungcheol’s smile flashed in his mind. “I knew he cared about me and I knew he loved me. Being with him just made me feel so safe.”

It hurt so much. It hurt Joshua to listen to his best friend talk about the man they were both in love with. It hurt but Joshua listened to everything his friend had to say because at the end of the day, Seungcheol loved Jeonghan and there was nothing he could do about it.

“I talked to Seokmin, you know,” Jeonghan said with a sigh. “He’s honestly way too nice. He forgave me for what I did without a second thought.” He shook his head and laughed again. “A guy like him deserves someone just as good. He’s going to make someone really happy someday.” He looked at his friend and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Hey, maybe you should date him,” he jokingly suggested.

Joshua scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not any better than you, Han. It wouldn’t be much of an upgrade.”  

“That’s just what you think,” Jeonghan muttered to himself.

The rest of the day was spent catching up with each other. Well, they were mostly exchanging the juicy office gossip they acquired over the last few weeks. Joshua told Jeonghan about the whole situation between Jihoon and Soonyoung and the secretary thought the advice his friend gave was good. Jeonghan told Joshua about the office thief who kept stealing everyone’s stationary and who he suspected it was.

“I’m telling you, it’s Mina from Finance, she’s always the first one at the scene of the crime,” he said overdramatically. “Coincidence? I think not!”

“Mina doesn’t seem like she’d be a thief. She’s really nice.”

“Exactly why she’s able to get away with it! Cause nobody would suspect her!”

It was as if nothing had changed. They were so casual and so easy with each other, bantering back and forth and calling each other names. Jeonghan and Joshua were two peas in a pod again but Joshua still felt like he had to do something about the CEO and his best friend’s breakup.

“Han, I’d better go,” Joshua said on Sunday morning after the two of them had cleared away their dishes. “I have a couple of things I need to do.” He headed towards his belongings which were next to the door.

Jeonghan got up and followed his friend to the door. “Alright,” he said with a small smile. “Text me when you get home so I know you didn’t get kidnapped or something.” He opened the door and offered a small wave as his friend walked out and to the elevator. He didn’t close his door till the elevator did.

Mr Park didn’t question Joshua’s request to be sent to Seungcheol’s house, he never questioned anything which was something the PA liked about him. Mr Park wasn’t a nosy person and he always did as he was told because it was his job. Imagine Joshua surprised when the driver asked, “So I take it you and Jeonghan are okay now?” He laughed at Joshua’s look of surprise. “I don’t say much but I observe all my passengers. You haven’t been over to Jeonghan’s in a while so I figured something must have happened.”

“Ah yeah,” Joshua reluctantly responded. “Everything is fine now.”

“That’s good to know.”

The whole ride over, Joshua planned what he would say to Seungcheol. He would start by declaring that Seungcheol get back together with Jeonghan then list down the reasons why he should do so. If you told him a year ago that he’d get his best friend and longtime unrequited love back together, he would have laughed and told you to fuck off. It’s funny how things changed so quickly. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. When was the last time he’d dated? Heck, when was the last time he was even remotely interested in anyone? Definitely not in the last three years because he had been too occupied with work and his boss.

It was time for him to get over Seungcheol and it was definitely high time he got laid.

“We’re here,” Mr Park announced as they pulled up to Seungcheol’s estate.

“Thank you, Mr Park.” Joshua stepped out of the car.

“I hope you fix Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s problem too,” Mr Park called out and winked at the PA before Joshua closed the door. It seemed that Mr Park was more omniscient than Joshua pegged him to be.

“Cheol! Choi Seungcheol!” Joshua loudly called out after he let himself into the house. It was only 10 a.m. and he knew the CEO would still be sound asleep because Seungcheol loved sleeping in on Sundays.

He let his feet carry him to the door of Seungcheol’s door and he didn’t hesitate to turn the doorknob and open the door. As Joshua had suspected the CEO was still sound asleep in his bed, sheets slightly crumpled from where he had tossed and turned and blanket only covering up his torso which showed Seungcheol’s toned chest and slight abs. He poked the CEO’s bare chest, “Cheol, wake up. I need to talk to you.”

Seungcheol stirred slightly. “Can’t it wait? It’s too early,” he mumbled, still half asleep and dreaming of Jeonghan’s arms around him.

“It’s about Jeonghan,” Joshua said, voice sounding grave.

Joshua’s words felt like a bucket of cold water on him and Seungcheol immediately jolted awake before sitting up so fast he gave himself a whiplash. “W-what happened?” He asked, voice full of concern. “Is he okay?”

After seeing the CEO’s response, Joshua knew he’d have no trouble getting his two idiot friends back together. “He’s fine,” he sighed. “Nothing bad happened.”

“His fever?”

“It’s gone,” the PA said. Getting straight to the point was how Joshua always went about things. “You should get back with Jeonghan.” If this were any other time, he would have laughed at the stunned look on Seungcheol’s face.

“W-What?” Wasn’t Joshua the one who didn’t want Jeonghan and Seungcheol to be together? “You want me to get back together with Jeonghan?” He parroted.

“Yes,” the other man replied curtly. “We’re fine now, Cheol. Jeonghan and I talked.” He sighed. “Jeonghan loves you and you make him happy so I want the two to you to get back together.”

Seungcheol scratched the back of his head as his brain tried to comprehend what Joshua was saying, it was too early in the morning for something like this. “Get back with Jeonghan… It’s not like I really wanted to break up with him in the first place,” he mumbled. “But what he said and did to you was terrible, Joshua.”

“Like I said, we’ve talked.” He placed a hand on the CEO’s shoulder. “We’ve made up and so should the two of you. If you make him happy then please be with him. I’ll get over you eventually.” He offered a small smile. “I’ve never heard him talk about someone so fondly. You clearly mean a lot to him so what kind of friend would I be to keep you two apart?”

The CEO sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Alright,” he replied. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“Good luck.”

It was evening time and Joshua was preparing himself some food for dinner when his phone ran. He picked it up without checking the caller ID. “So when you said you had something to do this morning, you meant you had to talk to Cheol,” Jeonghan’s voice came through the phone. “Sneaky, sneaky, Joshy.”

Joshua laughed. “You’re welcome,” he said, continuing to stir his stew. “I take it things worked out?”

“It sure did,” Jeonghan said, voice bubbly. “Thanks, Josh. You’re really the best.” He sounded so happy and so full of emotion that it brought a smile to Joshua’s face.

“I’m just glad to see you happy, Han.”

“Don’t forget that you deserve to be happy too, Josh,” Jeonghan reminded in a stern voice. “You should start thinking about yourself.”

“What? You mean I can’t just live vicariously through you?” The PA joked.

“Haha, very funny,” the secretary drawled. “If you don’t find yourself a man soon I’m going to set you up on a date!”

“Han, I don’t need a man to be happy,” Joshua retorted. “I have a job I love, parents I love, and I have good friends like you and Cheol. What more could I need?”

“Sex,” came Jeonghan’s blunt reply to Joshua’s obviously rhetorical question. “When was the last time you got laid? Uni?”  

The other man let out an exasperated sigh. “You don’t have to worry about that, Han. Go spend some time with Cheol.”

There was a pause on Jeonghan’s end. “Alright,” he finally replied. “If you’re ever looking for something better than your right hand I can—”

“Goodbye, Han.” Joshua cut off the call before Jeonghan could say more.

He appreciated his friend’s concern for him but it wasn’t something he wanted to think about just yet. But as he sat down to eat his dinner, he looked over to the empty seat opposite of him and couldn’t help but wish there was someone to fill the space. He craved something domestic, something to help fill the silence during dinner. When he laid in bed that night, his mind couldn’t help but wonder if he’ll ever meet someone and he fell asleep thinking that his bed seemed too big for him alone.

“Joshua-hyung!”

At the sound of his name, Joshua turned to see an excited looking Soonyoung running towards him with a larger than life grin on his face. He could only assume that things with Jihoon had worked out. “Hello Soonyoung,” he greeted with a smile of his own. “How can I help you?”

“Let me buy you a drink after work!” The way Soonyoung said it left no room for argument, and Joshua could never say no to free alcohol.

Joshua had let Soonyoung choose the place. The younger man, coincidentally, chose the bar that Joshua and Jeonghan frequented. “I heard this place is good,” Soonyoung informed the older man as they took their seats next to each other at the bar.

“It is. Jeonghan and I come here all the time,” Joshua said. “So, what’s the occasion?” He acted as if he had no clue with a blank look on his face.

“Your advice worked, hyung,” Soonyoung exclaimed. “It took awhile for me to work up the courage but I finally brought it up last night when he was at my place.” His grin was so wide and so bride that Joshua couldn’t help the small smile that found its way to his face.

“And what did he say?” Joshua urged the younger man to continue.

“He said that he wasn’t a big fan of PDA and that he preferred keeping his work life and personal life separate,” the younger continued. “I told him how it made me feel and he apologised for not telling me about it sooner.” He sighed, a blissful look on his face. “I like PDA but if Jihoon isn’t comfortable with it then I will hold myself back, especially in the office.”

“I’m glad to hear things worked out, Soonyoung.”

“It’s all thanks to your advice, hyung!” He turned and waved to get the bartender’s attention. “I’ll have a beer and he will have a glass of white wine.”

It was busy so it took quite some time before they got their drinks. After finishing his drink, Soonyoung excused himself saying that he had to meet Jihoon and to put all of Joshua’s drinks on his tab. Joshua waved as they younger man quickly scurried out of the bar and as generous as his offer to pay for his drinks was, the PA knew that he’d be drinking a lot tonight so he opened his own tab.

Why was Joshua here alone on a Friday night? Jeonghan was spending the night with Seungcheol and now Soonyoung was off to do the same with Jihoon. That left Joshua, all alone, sipping on his third glass of wine at a crowded bar. After the fourth glass, he decided to switch to something a little stronger and he contemplated on whether he should continue drinking here or have a nightcap in the confines of his own home. It was funny, really; Joshua helped out those two couples and yet he was all alone with alcohol as his saving grace.

“Joshua-hyung?” A familiar voice called out.

He turned to his right to see the PR director with a small smile on your face. “Oh, Seokmin, hello,” he greeted but his words slurred a little. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh, well, a friend of mine owns this bar and I’ve been meaning to drop by,” he explained. “Are you here alone? Or is Jeonghan-hyung with you?”

“Jeonghan is with Seungcheol,” he replied sounding a little bitter. He wasn’t being bitter because Jeonghan was with _Seungcheol_ , but rather Jeonghan was with _someone_ while Joshua was here alone. “What about you? Are you here with friends? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

Seokmin let out a laugh. “No girlfriend or boyfriend. I’m here alone as well,” he said.

“Ah, well,” Joshua said, “let me buy you a drink, then.” The bartender took their orders as Seokmin took the seat next to the older man. “To loners,” he offered and the two clinked their drinks before downing them, a vodka shot for Seokmin and tequila for Joshua.

The two lost count of the number of drinks they had but were smart enough to know when to stop. The two of them were drunk, stumbling and giggling on the streets as they made their way to Joshua’s nearby apartment after he offered to let Seokmin stay for the night. It was a miracle that the older man managed to let them into his apartment. As soon as the door closed shut, Joshua found his back against the door and Seokmin’s arms trapping him there.

“I’ve been wanting to do this all night,” Seokmin breathed before his lips were on Joshua’s.

After the initial shock, Joshua’s body began to respond as he moved his lips against the younger man’s and his hands found its way into Seokmin’s hair. It had been so long since he’d last kissed someone, last been with someone that he found himself impatient to get the other man into the bedroom so he whined and bit Seokmin’s lip. The younger man let out a chuckle and picked him up, Joshua’s legs wrapped around his waist and his hands cupping the older man’s ass, before proceeding to the bedroom. He carefully placed Joshua on the bed before climbing on top of him, arms supporting him and allowing him to hover over the older man.

“It’s been—” Joshua gulped “—awhile since I’ve done this,” he admitted, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“It’s alright,” Seokmin reassured him in a soft voice before placing a chaste kiss on his lips. “It’s been awhile for me too.”

The light rays coming through the window woke Joshua up. His head was pounding and he groaned as he forced his body to sit up. He turned to the left to see Seokmin still naked and still peacefully sleeping. He sighed and got up to put on some underwear and a shirt before sitting back on his bed. He felt bad if he were to wake Seokmin up but he wanted to talk about what happened last night, if it was just him that felt a connection or if the younger man felt it too. He wanted to know if this could possibly anything more than just a one night stand because Joshua was tired of being alone, sleeping alone in his bed made for two.

“Hyung,” Seokmin groaned, throat hoarse. “Too bright.” Joshua got up and pulled the curtains shut. “Thanks,” he mumbled before opening his eyes and looking at the older man.

“Morning,” Joshua greeted with a small smile, his insides a bundle of nerves. “Eventful night, am I right?”

Seokmin chuckled before sitting up. “Yeah, definitely eventful,” he agreed. “Hyung, I’m sorry.” Joshua’s breath hitched as he waited for the younger man to tell him how last night was a big mistake. “You were drunk last night and I should have stopped myself from doing anything. I’m sorry for taking advantage of you.”

“Taking advantage of—Wait, you’re not gonna say that you regret it or anything?”

“Uh, I don’t really regret it other than the fact that we were both drunk,” Seokmin admitted sheepishly, a pink tint visible on his cheeks. “I’ve actually liked you for awhile now but I never made the move because I still wasn’t fully over Jeonghan-hyung and I didn’t think it would be fair to you.”

“You like me?” Joshua repeated incredulously.

“Yeah, is that so hard to believe?”

The older man shrugged. “Kinda, I haven’t dated anyone in a long time,” he admitted. “I haven’t really been interested in anyone either.”

“I’d like to change that.” Seokmin reached out and took Joshua’s hand in his, a small smile on his face. “Before you reject me, at least let me take you out on a date first so you can see what I’m like sober.”

The other man let out a small laugh. “Okay,” he said. “To be honest, I wasn’t going to reject you anyway.” He leaned over to place a kiss on Seokmin’s lips.

After a good makeout session, Seokmin volunteered to make some coffee for the two of them to help jumpstart their day. Joshua told him where everything was and Seokmin put on his underwear before making his way to the kitchen. “Jeonghan-hyung?” He called out, shock evident in his voice when he noticed a familiar looking person in the kitchen.

Jeonghan turned to find a scantily clad Seokmin standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “Seokmin?” He was equally as shocked to find the PR director in his friend’s apartment but when he noticed the trail of hickeys down the younger man’s neck and chest, he could guess what had happened. “Looks like you had a good night, Seokminnie,” Jeonghan teased with a smirk on his face. “Care to share?”

At the older man’s words, Seokmin’s face turned bright red. “I—Uh, we—”

The secretary let out a hearty laugh. “Your face!” He laughed. “You’re so red!” It took him a minute before he managed to calm himself down, all the while Seokmin continued standing in the doorway with nothing but his underwear on his body and an embarrassed look on his face. “So, dear Seokmin, what are your intentions with my best friend?”

“Intentions?” Seokmin wondered out loud. “I want to date him? And fall in love?”

“You don’t so sure of yourself, Lee,” Jeonghan challenged.

“No offence, hyung. I’m really not sure why you’re asking me this,” Seokmin said.

Jeonghan sighed before beckoning the younger man into the kitchen and pouring them both a cup of coffee. He handed one to Seokmin and took one for himself. “Listen, Josh is my best friend,” he started. “I know him better than anyone else. So I know that he hasn’t been with anyone since uni.”

“Since uni? Well, we have that in common then.” The younger man took a sip of his coffee. “But what’s his reason? Did have a bad breakup too?”

“No,” Jeonghan said with a shake of his head, “it’s nothing like that.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “He’s just been so focused on work since we graduated that he didn’t even have time to think about dating.”

“Oh, that’s how it is.”

“Seokmin, I think you’ll make him very happy,” Jeonghan told the younger man. “Joshua deserves happiness too. After all that he’s done for me, I want to make sure my best friend gets his happy ending too, you know?”

“I know,” Seokmin whispered. “I’ll do my best to make him happy, hyung. You have my word!” He shot Jeonghan one of his bright smiles.

“Han?” Joshua, still only in his underwear and shirt, appeared in the kitchen doorway.  “What are you doing here?”

“I decided to be a good best friend and come make breakfast for you but I see you already have company,” Jeonghan said, still smirking. “I’ll just leave ingredients here and you guys can make breakfast or make love, either way.” Joshua rolled his eyes at his best friend’s words but had to will down a blush.

“That was… interesting,” Seokmin commented after Jeonghan had left.

“He’s never gonna let us live this down, Seokmin,” Joshua warned. “I guess I’ll just have to cease all contact with him.”

“I’m sure it won’t be _that_ bad, babe,” he laughed and pulled the older man in for a hug.

The older man could feel his cheeks flush at being casually called ‘babe’ but he didn’t comment on the pet name. “Let’s make something to eat, I’m starving.” As if on cue, his stomach growled.

It felt domestic, cooking and chatting at the same time; Joshua felt his heart flutter a bit. He learned that Seokmin actually really loved to cook and was rather good at it. They made something simple, omelettes and bacon with some toast. Joshua looked up to see the usually empty seat across from him with Seokmin sitting in it, happily munching away at his food. His heartbeat sped up a little and he felt butterflies in his stomach but he was okay with it. Was this what it was like? To have feelings for someone? If it was then, gosh, Joshua wanted it so bad.  He wanted this, and he wanted Seokmin.

He had been denying his loneliness for a long time now. Even his parents were asking him when he’d find a nice _guy_ and settle down. He had tried not to think about it but Jeonghan started bringing up the fact that he was single and hadn’t been with anyone since college. He wanted—no, he craved a connection, he wanted the feeling of knowing someone loved him, but most importantly he wanted someone by his side. Looking at Seokmin now, Joshua thought that maybe Jeonghan had been onto something when he had suggested, albeit slightly jokingly, that Joshua date the PR director.

“Seokmin-ah,” Joshua called out, “would you like to spend the rest of the day with me?”

Seokmin’s hand reached over and covered Joshua’s dainty one as the sides of his mouth curled up into a smile. “Sure, hyung, I’d love to.”

Maybe, just maybe, this could be what Joshua had been looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thank you all so much for sticking till the end of this story. We really hope you enjoyed reading this last chapter, we really worked hard on it! Let us know what you guys think! 
> 
> All there's left now is the epilogue...
> 
> (On a side note: I just made a [Seventeen fan account](https://twitter.com/Aprily_Svt?s=09)! Feel free to follow!)


	7. Epilogue: I have never felt this betrayed in my life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Call him crazy but yeah, an annoyed Jeonghan was still very sexy to him.

Trust Yoon Jeonghan to go all out for his wedding and Seungcheol to just go along with anything his fiance wanted. Four years have gone by but the CEO was still very much smittened with Jeonghan. That being said, Seungcheol heard bridezilla stories from his various married friends but Jeonghan sure made all those brides sound tame.

“No, I said I wanted pink and blue roses! What part of that don’t you understand? And the cake! I said a five-tiered cake from the Kim’s Bakery ! Get it right!” Jeonghan was yelling into his phone whilst his soon-to-be husband was casually sipping on his glass of wine, relaxing on the couch and gazing lovingly at his very annoyed husband-to-be (Call him crazy but yeah, an annoyed Jeonghan was still  _ very _ sexy to him).

“Babe, you should just leave it to the wedding planner. There’s a reason why we paid them.” Seungcheol leaned forward and stroked the other man’s hair, playing with the ends a bit before letting his hand rest on Jeonghan’s thigh. “You don’t want to get so stressed out before the big day, Hannie.”

“But Cheol, it’s our wedding!” Jeonghan whined. “We should take part in planning it! It’s the—” His rant was cut short when a pair of lips were placed on his, effectively shutting him up. Seungcheol nibbled on Jeonghan’s lower lip before pulling away with a firm peck.

“You’re sexy when you get mad,” the CEO whispered huskily into his fiance’s ear and took Jeonghan’s earlobe into his mouth before gently nibbling on it.

“C-Cheol,” Jeonghan barely got out. “I-I can’t...I-I have s-so many things to do.” But his words were contradicting his actions as his body slowly moved closer to Seungcheol’s and his mouth was letting out wanton moans as the CEO nibbled on his sensitive earlobes. “C-Cheol, please.” He tried again but as the other man’s hand started moving up his thigh, he let himself get lost in the pleasure his fiance was offering.

With only a week left till the big day, Jeonghan was striving to ensure everything would be perfect. Seungcheol had let his fiance take the reins when it came to planning but would comment on certain aspects like the colour scheme and the venue choice. They had decided on having the wedding at the Raum Wedding Hall in Gangnam, ritz and glamorous the way Jeonghan wanted it to be. He had invited everyone he knew in high school and university, to see them again after so long or to rub his luxurious, over the top wedding in their faces, Seungcheol didn’t know but knowing Jeonghan, it was probably the latter. 

“You’re going to get wrinkles, hyung,” Seokmin jokingly informed a frowning Jeonghan. “Wouldn’t want to look ten years older on your wedding day, would you? Turn that frown upside down!” The younger man proceeded to lift up the corners of Jeonghan’s mouth with his fingers in an attempt to make him smile.

“Cut it out, Seokmin,” Jeonghan said as he swatted the younger man’s hands away from his face. “I have too much to do and too little time.”

“You could always ask us for help, you know,” Joshua offered as he gave Seokmin a light pat on the arm when he wrapped his arms around the PA’s waist with a small pout on his face.

“Yeah, you know we’re always here to help!” Seokmin announced, the pout on his face quickly replaced with a hopeful smile.

“I love you, Seokminnie, but I wouldn’t trust  _ you _ to plan  _ my _ wedding when you didn’t even know tigers and lions are different species,” Jeonghan replied bluntly before running a frustrated hand through his, recently dyed, short brown hair.

The pout slipped back onto Seokmin’s face. “You’re so mean, hyung!” He whined childishly before burying his face in Joshua’s neck.

“There, there, you big baby,” Joshua said in a soft voice as he placed a kiss on his boyfriend’s head. “Jeonghan is just stressed over planning the wedding so forgive him for having a stick shoved up his ass.”

“Fuck off, Josh,” the brunette retorted. “Fuck, why are there so many guests? Where the fuck am I gonna sit all of them?!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have invited everyone from school just to show off,” Joshua suggested.

“Again, fuck off, Josh.”

The hall looked beautiful, the guests were arriving, and Jeonghan was a nervous wreck. No, it wasn’t because he thought Seungcheol would get cold feet and nor was it because we was afraid of the lifelong commitment he would be making, he was just afraid that something would go wrong. The perfectionist in him fueled his anxiety and it imagined a bunch of scenarios, the 5-tiered chocolate cake he ordered showing up as a 5-tiered red velvet cake or him tripping as he walked down the aisle. Joshua, being the best man and his best friend, was trying his best to reassure him but to no avail.

“Han, come on, you have to calm down,” the best man told him. “You planned every single detail and triple checked everything, I even helped. I know there’s no way that anything will go wrong.” He had his arm around the groom in a side hug. “It’ll be fine, Hannie.”

“That’s easy for you to say when you didn’t have to plan an entire fucking wedding,” Jeonghan muttered. “Do you have any idea how stressed I’ve been?”

“Of course I know, Hannie,” Joshua sighed. “That’s why Seokmin and I decided to skip the wedding and elope instead.”

“That’s nice,” the groom scoffed. It took a beat for his best friend’s words to finally sink in. “Wait, what?” He exclaimed. “You and Seokmin eloped? You got married before me?!” His eyes were wide in shock and Joshua just chuckled and lifted his left hand up to show Jeonghan the ring on his finger. “When did this happen and why wasn’t I invited?”

“Last week,” the best man responded. “We were going to invite you that day we were at your place but you were super stressed out so we decided against it.” He shrugged as if not inviting his best friend wasn’t a big deal. “We invited Cheol to be witness instead.”

“Cheol? You invited Choi Seungcheol to your goddamn elopement but not me?” Jeonghan exclaimed in disbelief, nerves completely forgotten. “I have never felt this betrayed in my life.” In dramatic fashion, he placed a hand on his chest as if he had just been stabbed.

Before either one of them could say anything, a knock sounded on the door. Jeonghan’s mother popped her head in. “It’s time to go, honey,” she informed the groom. Then turned to look at Josh. “You gotta get in place too, Josh.”

“Mom, Josh got married before I did!” Jeonghan whined.

Jeonghan’s mother’s eyes went wide, clearly surprised by the news. “Oh congratulations, honey!” She beamed at him then turned back to her son who was pouting. “You better get yourself out there, Jeonghan. You’ve been planning this for months.”

As Jeonghan waited outside the large doors that opened into the wedding hall, Joshua quickly took his place at the end of the aisle where the groomsmen were located. On Jeonghan’s side were him, Seokmin, and Wonwoo’ Seungcheol had Jihoon, Soonyoung and Mingyu. The hall was beautifully decorated, the colour scheme being pink and blue to match Jeonghan’s bouquet. Hundreds of guests were in the hall and Joshua could spot some familiar faces in the crowd, old friends from high school and university. 

The music started and the doors opened. In stepped Jeonghan dressed in a slim fitting navy tux, a blue and pink bouquet of roses in hand. He had a small smile on his face but as soon as his eyes landed on his husband-to-be he glared and picked up the pace, not caring to follow the beat of the music playing. Seungcheol was shocked. Why was Jeonghan looking at him like that? What had he done wrong?

“Choi Seungcheol, how could you?” Jeonghan exclaimed as soon as he got to the end of the aisle causing the audience to let out a collective gasp

“W-What?” Seungcheol asked his angry groom, obviously confused. “What did I do?”

“You knew that these”—Jeonghan pointed at Joshua and Seokmin—“assholes eloped and you didn’t tell me?!” He accused.

Joshua sighed. “Jeonghan, stop it. You’re embarrassing yourself,” he said and rolled his eyes at his best friend’s antics.

“Hannie, calm down,” Seungcheol tried. “They didn’t want to say anything because you already had too much on your plate.”

“But they’re my best friends! Don’t I have the right to know?” He pouted, hurt. “They invited you but not me.”

“Hyung,” Seokmin called out. “We were going to invite you but we didn’t want to distract you from your planning.”

Joshua hummed in agreement. “It wasn’t anything special anyway, we just signed a piece of paper, put on rings and called it a day.”

“It  _ is _ special,” Jeonghan huffed in protest. “My two best friends getting married is a big deal to me and I would have liked to be there for you.” He sighed as he regarded the two husbands. “I’m glad the two of you found each other. Congratulations,” Seokmin grinned, relieved. “But I’ll never forgive you for getting married before me.” Seokmin’s smile slipped off his face.

“Can I re-enter?” Jeonghan asked sheepishly, a blush making its way onto his cheeks.

After that embarrassing incident the rest of the ceremony went on without a hitch, albeit everything was slightly delayed because Jeonghan insisted on re-entering. Joshua and Seokmin sat at the main table with the rest of the grooms’ families because Jeonghan claimed that his best friend is the closest thing he had to a brother. The newlyweds made their rounds and greeted all their guests which took about an hour, Jeonghan regretted inviting so many people. Joshua also went around with his husband to say hi to all his friends and acquaintances that he hadn’t seen in years. Soon, it was time for speeches and Joshua had to give his.

“When I suggested Jeonghan for the job position to be Cheol’s secretary,” Joshua began, “I certainly didn’t think this is where we’d all end up four years later.” He chuckled and so did the guests. “But then again, the universe works in mysterious ways. Honestly, I was very against them being together in the beginning and it caused a lot of… fights,” he continued as he turned to look at the newlyweds, “I’m glad I introduced the two of you because you both deserve to be happy and I see just how well the two of you go together. It’s like a match made in heaven in my opinion.

“I’m not gonna say all that typical ‘make sure you take care of him’ bullshit because I know Cheol very well and I know that he’ll do everything in his power to make my best friend happy. And Jeonghan would do the same because the both of them are just so in love with each other that it grosses me out sometimes and—”

“Don’t be such a hypocrite, Shua!” Jeonghan cut the other man off in protest. “You and Seokmin are just as grossly in love as we are!”

Joshua laughed into the mic he was holding and nodded. “Alright, alright, you got me there.” He sighed and smiled. “Anyway, I’m just glad to see the two of you so happy together and I know you’ll be for a long time and that’s all I want for the you.” He handed the mic back to the emcee before walking over to the pair and giving them each a hug.

Seungcheol’s best man, Jihoon, gave an awkward but adorable speech and Joshua could hear Soonyoung cheering him on the other time which only made the other man stutter more. Since it was a special occasion, Seungcheol serenaded his husband with a song and his husky voice really made everyone swoon. Joshua and Seokmin also performed a song together with the former playing the guitar and harmonising along with the latter. Some of the guests, mostly female, who clearly hadn’t heard Jeonghan’s statement during Joshua’s speech came up to his husband.

“Wow, Seokmin-oppa, your voice is amazing,” one of them purred and Joshua wanted to gag.

Seokmin chuckled nervously. “Uh, thank you.” 

“Could you give me singing lessons?” Another one asked and placed a hand on Seokmin’s arm.

“Sorry ladies, but my  _ husband  _ is very busy with work life and me,” he said in an overly sweet yet threatening voice as he took his husband’s hand in his. “So if you all could kindly, how does one say… fuck off, that would be great.” He shot them a sarcastic smile at their shocked faces before they quickly scurried off.

“That was hot,” Seokmin commented and turned to look at his husband. “Like really hot, babe.”

“I know,” the other man replied with a smirk.

The younger man excitedly relayed the incident to the newlyweds to which Joshua received a high five from Jeonghan for a job well done. “The nerve of some people,” Seungcheol said with a shake of his head. “So shameless.”

Hours passed and it was soon time for the grooms to depart. Guests gathered by the stage and eagerly waited for Jeonghan to toss his bouquet. Seokmin and Joshua decided to opt out of participating seeing as how they were already married. The older man caught a glimpse of Jihoon and Soonyoung amongst the crowd and smirked, he was sure that Soonyoung had to drag Jihoon over. Mingyu and Wonwoo were there too, Joshua could see Mingyu’s head sticking up above everyone else’s.

“1! 2! 3!” Jeonghan counted before tossing his bouquet over his shoulder.

The crowd let out an excited squeal before surging forward in an attempt to catch the bouquet but all was for naught because Jihoon swiftly caught it in one hand. Jeonghan wanted to laugh at how torn Mingyu looked. The tall man had really wanted to fight everyone for the bouquet but seeing as how the person who caught it was Jihoon, he was far too terrified to do anything but to concede. The newlywed watched in amusement as Wonwoo tried to comfort his disappointed boyfriend and as shock spread on Jihoon’s features as he realised what he was holding.

“Congratulations, Jihoonie and Soonyoungie,” Jeonghan cheered. “You better send me an invite to your wedding.”

The couple blushed. “I-I...W-We,” Jihoon stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Soonyoung tilted his boyfriend’s head up and pecked him on the lips which earned them a cheer from everyone around them.

Joshua and Seokmin also cheered from where they sat. Looking around, Joshua did have regrets of not having a wedding but after seeing how stressed out Jeonghan had been while planning, he really didn’t want to put himself or Seokmin through that. The decision to elope was made one random night as they were having dinner at home.

“Do you want a big wedding?” Seokmin casually asked as he reached over for some kimchi.

Joshua shrugged, the talk of marriage didn’t phase him because they had already discussed it numerous times. “I don’t think so,” he replied. “Seeing how stressed out Han is, I really don’t think we’d be able to handle it.”

“So a small wedding then?” The younger man suggested.

“Maybe we should just elope,” Joshua said offhandedly, not really thinking much of his suggestion.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind,” Seokmin told him. “I just want to be married to you, hyung.”

“Yeah, me too, Seokmin.”

The both of them didn’t want anything too fancy anyway so just calling up their parents and friends as witness was enough. Seokmin had Seungkwan and Soonyoung there and Joshua had Seungcheol. It was small, intimate and just the way the wanted it to be except Jeonghan being there would have been better. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk.

“Shua, we’re heading out now,” Jeonghan said, snapping the other man out of his reverie. “We’ll bring back some souvenirs.”

Joshua looked up to see the newlyweds smiling down at him, holding hands. “Alright.” He got up and hugged the both of them, Seokmin did so too, before the pair sneaked out of their own wedding.

“Any regrets for not having a wedding?” Seokmin asked as they walked out of the hall hand in hand.

“Nope, not a single one,” the older man replied without any hesitation before stopping in his tracks. Seokmin, confused, turned to look at him and he just smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Seokmin leaned in and placed a kiss on his husband’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end.


End file.
